Six sentenced to up to nine years for cocaine trafficking hidden in frozen squid
Leiria Court has sentenced six people to eight and nine years' imprisonment for cocaine trafficking concealed in frozen squid imported from Ecuador. The seized drugs weighed 1,144 kg and were worth approximately €34.5 million.
Leiria Court sentences six for cocaine network concealed in frozen squid
Leiria Court has sentenced six defendants to eight and nine years' imprisonment for aggravated drug trafficking and possession of prohibited weapons and ammunition, according to Google News PT — Crime (pt) reporting based on information from Jornal de Leiria.
The panel of judges also imposed a fine of 750 days at a daily rate of €250 — totalling €187,500 — on a company based in Torres Vedras, in Lisbon district, likewise condemned for aggravated drug trafficking.
The reading of the judgement lasted approximately an hour and a half. The presiding judge did not find proven the crimes of criminal association and document falsification that were included in the accusations brought by Leiria's Public Prosecutor's Office.
Nine men tried, three acquitted
Nine men aged between 26 and 63 were tried as suspects of being part of a network trafficking cocaine imported from Ecuador, concealed in frozen squid and valued at approximately €34.5 million.
The court acquitted three of the accused on the grounds that "it was not proven that they had knowledge of the cargo".
Two defendants were sentenced to nine years' imprisonment. In one case, the sentence results from consecutive sentencing: eight years and six months for aggravated drug trafficking, plus two years for possession of prohibited weapons and ammunition. The remaining four were sentenced to eight years, also for aggravated drug trafficking.
Cocaine arrived via Port of Lisbon, destined for Europe
According to indictment and committal order documents consulted by Lusa news agency, the defendants formed a group to purchase and introduce cocaine into Portugal at least from February 2024.
The product was transported by sea in containers from South America and then by land to other European countries, namely the Netherlands, with a connection to Turkey.
The Public Prosecutor's Office reports that the group acquired cocaine from Ecuador "packaged and mixed in pallets containing boxes of frozen fish (frozen squid)", destined for a company's warehouse in Óbidos, in Leiria district.
After the drugs entered Portugal via the Port of Lisbon and arrived at the warehouse in Óbidos, at least seven of the suspects worked towards its removal and subsequent distribution throughout the country and Europe.
The Torres Vedras company had expanded its business activity code for the sale of meat and fish, "to allow the importation of cocaine concealed in frozen squid", states the Public Prosecutor's Office.
1,144 kilogrammes seized, value could double
The network was dismantled in February 2024 when individuals were approached by the Judicial Police at the Óbidos warehouse.
After expert examination, the seized cocaine had a net weight of approximately 1,144 kilogrammes. Its value is around €34.5 million, "not accounting for possible cuts to the product, which, in this case, would double or triple the value", according to the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)