A Polícia Judiciária (PJ) detained another member of a criminal group on October 1st in Coimbra. This group was involved in various crimes, including facilitating illegal immigration, corruption, money laundering, and document forgery.
Investigators reported that the 37-year-old man was part of the criminal network dismantled last May during Operation Gambérria, which resulted in the arrest of 13 individuals, including seven businesspersons, a lawyer, and an employee from the General Directorate for Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On the previous day, three search warrants were executed, leading to the seizure of a vast collection of documentation used in irregular legalization processes of foreigners, a vehicle, a 7.65 mm pistol, ammunition, two pairs of handcuffs, tactical vests, and a metal detector.
Additionally, authorities seized “sophisticated” electronic equipment for copying security codes for remote opening and for card cloning, a communication signal jammer, night vision binoculars, a mini laser recorder used in forgeries, metal parts being worked on to resemble a submachine gun.
The suspect also had “money and computer equipment” confiscated.
The PJ described the investigation as “complex,” which started in September 2023. It concluded that the network was involved in the “irregular and massive legalization of foreign citizens in Portugal,” generating financial gains amounting to millions of euros.
The suspect, also a foreigner with no prior criminal record in Portugal, was subjected to preventive detention after the first judicial interrogation.
