At the start of the trial at São João Novo Court in Porto, the defendants stated they did not wish to speak about the charges against them at this time.
Among the 25 defendants, 24 are charged with drug trafficking and minor trafficking offenses. One defendant is indicted for possession of a prohibited weapon.
Six of the suspects are under coercive measures, with three in pre-trial detention—the most severe measure—and three under house arrest with electronic monitoring.
Most defendants requested to be excused from the trial hearings, citing professional and health reasons.
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), the suspects organized a hierarchical drug selling operation in Bairro Novo da Pasteleira from January 2023 to July 2024.
The defendants, apprehended in July 2024, sold drugs directly to consumers in an organized and hierarchical manner, divided into two parallel groups.
Within each group, alleged traffickers took on various roles, including leader, manager, vendor, scout/watchman, safe houses, and escape houses.
The leaders, who possessed the drugs, were tasked with controlling the network and hiring collaborators, while managers managed the direct sales structure. Vendors sold the drugs, the MP explains.
Scouts/watchmen directed buyers and monitored the locations where other defendants conducted sales. Safe houses were used to conceal, handle, and divide the drugs, while escape houses provided refuge for defendants evading law enforcement, the prosecution noted.
The MP requested the seizure and destruction of all confiscated drugs (heroin, cocaine, hashish, and others), along with assets related to the criminal activity and the amount of 17,757 euros.
