Two 46-year-old men were arrested on Monday on suspicion of drug trafficking in the municipalities of Lousã and Vila Nova de Poiares. During the searches, authorities discovered 17 exotic birds that had been stolen.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the National Republican Guard (GNR) explained that the arrests were made “as part of an investigation into drug trafficking.”
During police operations, officers executed four house search warrants and 24 non-residential searches, including 19 on vehicles and five on land, warehouses, and businesses.
The searches concluded with the arrest of the two suspects and the recovery of 17 exotic birds, which had been stolen in the municipality of Arganil. Additionally, the GNR seized 628 doses of cocaine, 2.25 grams of ecstasy, a precision scale, a pistol, two shotguns, and 56 rounds of various calibers.
The detainees were made official suspects and the case was forwarded to the Judicial Court of Coimbra for the imposition of coercive measures.
The operation was strengthened by the Canine Technical Section of the Territorial Command of Castelo Branco, the Nature and Environment Protection Service (SEPNA) of the Coimbra Territorial Detachment, and the Intervention Detachment (DI) of the Coimbra Command, through the Intervention Platoon and the Canine Technical Section.
You can see, in the gallery above, the moment when authorities discovered the birds.
