Drug trafficker 'Antoniozinho' sentenced to 17 years for cocaine trafficking in Lisbon
António Lopes, 47, led an international cocaine trafficking network from 2021. Lisbon court sentenced him to 17 years in prison.
'Antoniozinho' sentenced to 17 years for leading international cocaine trafficking network
The drug trafficker António Tavares Lopes, known as 'Antoniozinho', was sentenced to 17 years in prison by the Judicial Court of the Lisbon district for aggravated drug trafficking and criminal association. According to Correio da Manhã, the defendant, 47, had been arrested in June 2024 as part of Operation "Summer House", an investigation lasting nearly three years conducted by the National Unit to Combat Drug Trafficking of the Judicial Police (UNCTE/PJ) and the Central Department for Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP).
The bench of judges found it proven that 'Antoniozinho' had led, at least since 2021, "a sophisticated drug trafficking network of international scope, responsible for the introduction of large quantities of narcotics, particularly cocaine, into Portugal and Europe". The drugs, sourced from South America, entered Portuguese territory through Lisbon airport and the ports of Setúbal, Sines and Leixões. The network also had the capacity to distribute the merchandise to France, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom.
Links to 'Xuxas' and use of encrypted SKY ECC system
The court also found it proven that 'Antoniozinho' counted on the collaboration of Rúben Oliveira, known as 'Xuxas' — whom he referred to as "cousin" — sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking in November of last year. Rúben's brother, Dércio Oliveira, was sentenced to 13 years in the same case.
Communications between members of the network were conducted via the encrypted SKY ECC telephone service. Data from this system, provided by French authorities to the DCIAP and UNCTE/PJ, proved decisive in establishing the criminal activity — a decision that the defence contested vigorously.
Acquittal on attempted murder charges
'Antoniozinho' was also accused of having ordered two attempted murders against Samir Fernandes, a rival drug trafficker serving a sentence of 19 and a half years for drug trafficking. The court acquitted the defendant on this point, as it did not consider these crimes proven.
Defence announces appeal and criticises sentence
'Antoniozinho''s lawyer, Correia de Almeida, lamented the decision and announced an appeal. In statements to Correio da Manhã, the lawyer alleged "numerous procedural irregularities" and criticised the way the judges read out the sentence: "The judges made several mistakes during the reading of the sentence, saying the defendant's name incorrectly, mixing it up with that of another person [Rúben Oliveira], making it seem as though the sentence was merely a 'copy-paste' from some other case. We will appeal this decision, naturally."
Source: Correio da Manhã