Operation White Web: PJ seizes 1,500 kg of cocaine and detains five foreigners
The Judicial Police dismantled an international drug trafficking network across four Portuguese districts. 1,500 kg of cocaine and six Kalashnikovs were seized.
PJ dismantles transnational drug network with 1,500 kg of cocaine seized
The Judicial Police concluded an operation against international drug trafficking in the districts of Faro, Setúbal, Aveiro and Guarda, resulting in the detention of five foreign nationals and the seizure of approximately 1,500 kilograms of cocaine. The information was reported by observador.pt based on a statement from the authorities.
The operation, named White Web, began in 2023 and was coordinated by the Criminal Investigation Department of Portimão. According to the authorities, it made it possible to dismantle "a transnational criminal organisation, with bases throughout the national territory and in Spain", which was introducing cocaine and hashish by maritime and land routes for distribution throughout the Iberian Peninsula.
During the operation, eleven search warrants were executed. The searches resulted in the seizure of an arsenal of automatic weapons, including six AK-47 Kalashnikov submachine guns, one VZ61 Skorpion submachine pistol and two Glock pistols, accompanied by their respective ammunition.
In addition to the weapons and narcotics, the authorities confiscated seven speedboats, seven truck trailers, 22 vehicles, five motorcycles, jewellery items, luxury brand watches, an unspecified sum of money and forged documentation — passports, driving licences and identity cards.
The five detainees were presented for initial judicial questioning. Three were remanded in custody; the others await the application of coercive measures.
Given the transnational scope of the investigation, the PJ received cooperation from Spain's Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, the National Unit for Combating Drug Trafficking (UNCTE), various Criminal Investigation Departments and the Setúbal GNR Command, as well as the National Maritime Authority. The investigation is under the direction of the Central Department for Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP).
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)