A 26-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of Sunday in the parish of Misericórdia, Lisbon, on suspicion of drug trafficking and possession of a prohibited weapon.
The Public Security Police (PSP) reported that the suspect was apprehended during a STOP operation, carried out with an unmarked police vehicle.
The driver was traveling in the direction of Alcântara to Cais do Sodré when he noticed the officers, causing him to make a sudden stop in an area known for avoiding police operations, raising suspicions.
The man was approached and appeared “visibly nervous,” presenting only a copy of the vehicle’s registration certificate, claiming it was a borrowed rental car. He did not have a contract or valid personal documentation.
Officers requested he open the bag he was carrying, from which he produced a small bag of white powder, confirmed to be cocaine.
Following this, a search was conducted, and authorities discovered a 6.35 mm caliber firearm, with one bullet in the chamber and three in the magazine.
The suspect admitted he had no license to carry a weapon, stating it was for “personal defense.”
In addition to the firearm, the PSP seized from the suspect 14.8 doses of cocaine, 124 doses of hashish, 120 euros in cash, and an airsoft weapon found in the vehicle’s glove compartment.
According to the PSP, the man, who has a “professional history,” will now face a preliminary judicial hearing to determine the appropriate coercive measures.
