The information was disclosed in a statement from the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) published on the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP) website, which leads the inquiry with the assistance of the National Unit Against Terrorism (UNCT) of the Judicial Police (PJ).
The investigation focuses on the suspects’ activities, as they exploited the fragile situation (documentary, social, and economic) of citizens from third countries, mostly undocumented, to gain substantial economic advantages.
According to the MP, these citizens were “willing to work without a formal contract” and received “wages below the market rates for the jobs” in “labor-intensive sectors such as agriculture”.
“In this context, the suspects did not pay the promised amounts, arbitrarily deducting sums for accommodation, transportation, water, electricity, and documentation,” it highlighted.
Among the suspects are elements of the security forces, noted the MP, stating that these individuals, “in exchange for economic compensation, outside their professional duties and violating the obligations required by their public function, exercised control and surveillance of foreign workers.”
The MP further emphasized that these suspects threatened these citizens, making them believe that complaining to the authorities would not be a viable option to counter the abuses they faced.
The operation, named “Safra justa”, involved executing around 50 search warrants and 17 arrest warrants in Beja, Portalegre, Figueira da Foz, and Porto.
“The investigated facts potentially constitute the crime of aiding illegal immigration, human trafficking, active and passive corruption, and abuse of power,” the statement added.
The PJ also communicated that the investigation involves crimes of aiding illegal immigration, forgery, tax fraud, and money laundering.
A police source revealed to the Lusa news agency that a total of 17 people were arrested—those covered by the warrants—including 10 GNR military personnel in Beja, one PSP agent, and six civilians.
“Not all arrests were in the Beja area,” mentioned the source, noting that most immigrant workers victimized by the network are of Indo-Aryan origin.
A police source told Lusa that following the operation, inquiries are being conducted at Air Base No. 11 in Beja.
The PJ’s statement revealed that the issue involved a criminal organization controlling hundreds of foreign workers, the majority in irregular situations in Portugal.
