Two foreign nationals, a man and a woman, were arrested for attempting to facilitate the illegal entry of five individuals from Guinea-Conakry into Portugal. These individuals reportedly paid between two and three thousand euros for the journey, according to a statement released by PSP.
Upon arrival at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport, PSP’s National Unit of Foreigners and Borders (UNEF) identified “five foreign nationals from a designated ‘risk’ origin, including two minors and a pregnant woman,” the statement outlined.
The group sought international protection in Portugal by presenting forged diplomatic passports of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, PSP later determined that they were in possession of documents from Guinea-Conakry.
With suspicions about the authenticity of the documents, PSP identified a woman, a legal resident of France, accompanying the group. She was found with the forged passports upon being approached by law enforcement.
The woman was promptly apprehended, followed by the arrest of another suspect initially claimed to be a witness but was found to have direct links to the group and the first detainee, according to PSP.
Given the suspicion of human trafficking involvement, the two minors were flagged and directed to a care institution. The pregnant woman was medically assisted at the airport before being transferred to Lisbon’s Santa Maria Hospital for further observation.
