The Territorial Command of Beja of the National Republican Guard (GNR) arrested 16 individuals on July 10 for drug trafficking, criminal association, money laundering, and possession of prohibited weapons in the municipalities of Aljustrel and Alcácer do Sal.
The security force reported that the arrests followed a two-year investigation into drug trafficking activities.
The GNR’s investigation revealed that the suspects operated in an organized and hierarchical manner, engaging in various criminal activities.
During the operation, 21 search warrants were executed, including 13 at residences, five in vehicles, and three at establishments.
The operation led to the seizure of 3,080 doses of heroin, 2,197 doses of hashish, 2,155 doses of cocaine, eight nitrous oxide canisters, six rifles, four pistols, three revolvers, three replicas of firearms, 18 air guns, three machetes, a dagger, 30 extendable batons, 244 rounds of ammunition, five cars, three motorcycles, two scooters, two bicycles, one electric scooter, and two bottles of ammonia.
The detainees include 13 men and three women, aged between 22 and 53.
The suspects are set to appear for their first judicial interrogation at the Ourique Judicial Court for the application of coercive measures.
The operation involved a total of 160 GNR military personnel, supported by investigators from the Territorial Commands of Beja, Faro, and Setúbal, the Beja, Évora, and Faro Intervention Detachments, the Public Order Intervention Group, the Special Operations Intervention Group, and the Canine Intervention Group from the Intervention Unit, along with several Territorial Posts of the Beja Territorial Command.
Over the weekend, the GNR released its operational activity report for the week of July 4 to July 10, during which 476 individuals were arrested nationwide, 43 of whom were for drug trafficking.
The majority of arrests—236—were for driving under the influence of alcohol. Other arrests included 79 for driving without a legal license, 19 for domestic violence, 11 for theft and robbery, ten for illegal possession of weapons and prohibited arms, and two for forest arson.
The GNR seized a total of 11,072.2 doses of hashish, 1,404.05 doses of cocaine, 156.7 doses of MDMA, 72.7 doses of heroin, 60.94 doses of cannabis, 2,149 cannabis plants, 55 MDMA pills, 40 amphetamine pills, 42 LSD stamps, 265 rounds of various calibers, 33 firearms, 26 white or prohibited weapons, 18 vehicles, and €54,399.74.
Regarding traffic violations, 8,016 infractions were detected, including 1,496 for speeding, 996 for missing mandatory periodic inspections, 421 related to tachographs, 303 for driving with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, 286 for lack of civil liability insurance, 268 for issues with lighting and signaling systems, 244 for improper use of a mobile phone while driving, and 234 for lack or incorrect use of seat belts and/or child restraint systems.
