A criminal organization dismantled on Tuesday during the “Safra Justa” operation by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) controlled about 500 foreign workers in Alentejo. However, not all are considered victims of trafficking, according to police sources.
On Tuesday, a PJ statement announced that the operation led to the dismantling of a criminal organization facilitating illegal immigration, which controlled hundreds of foreign workers, most in irregular situations in Portugal.
A total of 17 individuals were arrested, including 11 security force members—10 from the GNR and one from the PSP—and six civilians, aged between 26 and 60.
The detainees began appearing on Thursday in the Central Criminal Court of Instruction in Lisbon for initial judicial questioning and imposition of respective coercive measures.
According to the Public Ministry (MP) and PJ, the investigated facts could involve crimes of aiding illegal immigration, human trafficking, active and passive corruption, abuse of power, forgery, fiscal fraud, and money laundering.
The 10 arrested GNR military personnel were part of the GNR’s Territorial Command of Beja at the time of the alleged crimes, while the PSP officer from the Beja District Command was on leave since September 2024.
Regarding the six civilians, a police source clarified on Wednesday that four are Portuguese and two are foreigners, “all members of the criminal organization.”
“The two foreigners are South Asian and recruited victims from the same origin, also coercing and threatening them,” the source stated.
Among the Portuguese, “the leader” of the network was arrested on the street in Beja at 5:00 AM on Tuesday, while the others were “his right-hand men.”
A total of approximately 50 search and 17 arrest warrants were executed not only in Beja but also in Portalegre, Figueira da Foz, and Porto.
The MP argued that the suspects exploited “the fragile (documentary, social, and economic) situation of citizens from third countries, mostly undocumented, to derive significant economic benefits.”
The immigrants “were willing to work without formal contracts,” receiving “wages lower than those typically paid for similar roles,” such as in agriculture.
“The suspects did not provide the promised amounts, arbitrarily deducting amounts for accommodation, transport, water, electricity, and documentation costs,” it was emphasized.
Securities force members controlled and monitored the foreign workers “in exchange for economic compensation” and “threatened these citizens, suggesting that reporting to authorities was not a viable option to react to the abuses they suffered.”
