The Public Security Police (PSP) has informed that 11 individuals, comprised of seven men and four women aged between 17 and 44, were apprehended and appeared for their first judicial interrogation at the Beja Court on Thursday, Friday, and today.
Five men and one woman have been remanded in custody; the men at Beja Prison and the woman at Odemira Prison, located in the Beja district, pending further legal proceedings, according to the PSP.
The remaining five suspects, two men and three women, have been ordered to report weekly to their local security authorities and are prohibited from contacting one another.
The Beja District Command of the PSP announced on Friday that a significant drug trafficking network operating in Beja was dismantled, resulting in 11 arrests and the seizure of “a substantial quantity of drugs, weapons, and items linked to criminal activity.”
Dubbed operation “Pelourinho,” the police effort commenced on Tuesday in the Alentejo city, engaging around 80 officers from multiple police units.
A police source disclosed that the criminal network had operations spanning the entire city but concentrated primarily in Praça da República, central Beja.
The operation saw the execution of eight residential searches, yielding 700 doses of hashish, 65 doses of cocaine, seven nitrous oxide canisters, and €840 in cash.
Additionally seized were a firearm with 13 bullets, an expandable baton, a vehicle, and various items allegedly used in criminal activities, including mobile phones, precision scales, and cutting knives.
The raid was supported by elements from the Police Special Unit, including the Intervention Corps and Canine Operational Group, along with assistance from PSP units in Abrantes and Cascais and all subunits of the Beja District Command.
An earlier statement from the PSP highlighted that the arrests were made last Tuesday on suspicions of multiple crimes including drug trafficking, robbery, fraud, and bodily harm.
The suspects were apprehended following an “extensive criminal investigation lasting more than 12 months” that involved ample evidence gathering.
The arrests ensued following a series of eight residential raids across the city and the enforcement of 11 arrest warrants outside of emergency situations.
