Two men, aged 22 and 27, were arrested by the Judicial Police (PJ) for several violent crimes that occurred between June and August of this year in the cities of Faro and Loulé. The detainees are suspected of three attempted homicides, two kidnappings, three aggravated robberies, one crime of possession of a prohibited weapon, and another of aggravated threat.
The PJ states in a press release that the crimes occurred “between elements of rival groups” and that the origin of the disagreements was “the attempt to dominate territory for the practice of drug trafficking.”
The escalation of violence began in June of this year when one of the now-detained individuals fired a firearm in the center of Faro against a member of the rival group. The victim managed to escape unharmed.
Days later, on July 10, the detainees kidnapped a man in Quarteira. The victim was taken from his home and brought to a remote location, where he was robbed of his personal belongings. He was also assaulted with a crowbar and shot with a firearm but managed to escape afterward.
In August, in Faro, the detainees committed robberies, assaults, and death threats, using knives and firearms. The victims required medical assistance. “Two of the situations happened following an altercation between both detainees, with one of them also needing hospital assistance, including hospitalization,” the statement adds.
The detainees were brought before the court and will await trial in preventive detention.
