PJ seizes 434 kg of cocaine and four AK-47s in Caldas da Rainha
Nine suspects in international trafficking detained in Judicial Police operation that dismantled armed group with machine guns.
Operation "Dorica" dismantles maritime drug trafficking network in Portugal
The Judicial Police detained nine suspects of international drug trafficking in Caldas da Rainha, in the district of Leiria, and seized 434 kilograms of cocaine, the institution announced on Thursday. The operation, called "Dorica", was conducted by the National Unit for Combating Drug Trafficking (UNCTE).
According to CNN Portugal, the drug arrived in Portugal from Latin America by sea, transported in high-speed vessels. The PJ indicates that the traffickers had created "a safe network and logistical structure" that allowed the reception, storage and subsequent distribution of the drug in the country.
The nine detained are all men, aged between 24 and 50 years, and have Albanian, Moroccan, Brazilian, Spanish, Italian and Lithuanian nationalities. They were found inside houses and vehicles used during the operation, under search and arrest warrants issued.
The approach to the suspects proved particularly dangerous. The Judicial Police stresses that "some of them wielded machine guns that they attempted to use, only failing to do so due to effective police action".
In the course of the searches, the authorities seized, in addition to the 434 kilograms of cocaine, four AK-47 machine guns, a lorry, a light vehicle, communications equipment and image capture and recording systems.
The PJ states that the investigation involved international police cooperation, which made it possible to identify the circuits of the criminal organisation and to monitor the suspects until the moment of arrest of the "main parties responsible for importing the drug".
The nine defendants are to be questioned in first judicial interrogation still on Thursday, for the application of precautionary measures, which may include preventive detention. The investigations continue with the aim of establishing the connections of the network and identifying any new suspects.
Source: CNN Portugal