'Papa Smurf' not located by Portuguese police at registered addresses
Portuguese Judicial Police verified the addresses of Diego Marín Buitrago without finding him. His defence admits a change of residence but insists that he remains in the country.
'Papa Smurf' absent: Portugal cannot find alleged Colombian smuggling kingpin
According to vanguardia.com, Portuguese Judicial Police verified all known addresses of Diego Marín Buitrago, alias 'Papa Smurf', and failed to locate him at any of them. The Portuguese Embassy officially communicated the result to Colombian authorities, and the information was incorporated into cooperation channels with Interpol.
The official document indicates that the verifications established that the Colombian citizen "is not residing at any of the known addresses". The file was sent to the Interpol office in Lyon, France, and reached Colombia through the Dijín.
The search was triggered after Marín Buitrago failed to appear at the last two judicial proceedings in which his participation was scheduled. His absence raised concern among Portuguese authorities, who proceeded to verify the places of residence that he himself had previously reported.
'Papa Smurf's' lawyers acknowledged that their client changed his residence in Portugal, but rejected the notion that this means he has disappeared or abandoned the country. According to the defence, the new address was notified to the court handling the case.
The legal representatives further maintain that Marín Buitrago remains on Portuguese territory and continues to await judicial proceedings against him. Regarding the absences, the lawyers argued that his presence was not procedurally mandatory at those proceedings.
In response to the situation, the defence filed a petition with the police requesting information about the verifications carried out and seeking clarification as to why authorities failed to locate him at the addresses they had on file.
In Colombia, judicial proceedings are ongoing against the alleged smuggling kingpin, whose location in Portugal remains unconfirmed by the authorities of that country.
Source: Google News CO — Crime