The Northern Directorate of the Polícia Judiciária (PJ), with the support of the National Republican Guard (GNR), detained a 55-year-old man on suspicion of criminal association, document forgery, and qualified fraud.
The arrest was carried out as part of an “operation to combat vehicle trafficking and tampering,” and in compliance with an arrest warrant issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office – DIAP of Porto, the PJ stated in a press release sent to newsrooms.
The suspect was detained and charged as one of the leaders of the criminal group during investigations into “a scheme of document forgery, legalization, and sale of high-end and mid-range vehicles.”
The cars were acquired using “credit and allegedly false documentation” and then diverted without “payment of the respective installments.” Subsequently, the vehicle documents were altered, and the cars were taken abroad, where they “were reintroduced to the market, legalized with false documentation,” and circulated with “apparently valid” registration plates and documents.
The PJ also managed to seize “a mid/high-end vehicle, firearm ammunition, and around 14,000 euros in cash.”
The detainee, who has a criminal record for this type of offense, will now be brought before the judiciary for a first judicial interrogation and the application of coercive measures.
