Two foreign nationals have been arrested by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) as part of an anti-drug trafficking operation in the Mação region. Approximately two thousand kilograms of cannabis were seized.
In a statement, PJ detailed that the investigation, dubbed Operation Ortiga, commenced earlier this month in coordination with INFARMED. The operation focused on a criminal group involved in distributing large quantities of cannabis across various European and African markets.
Authorities uncovered that the group, consisting of numerous national and foreign individuals, had acquired several pharmaceutical companies and integrated licensed commercial entities for the wholesale trade, import, and export of medicinal cannabis.
The group exploited weaknesses and vulnerabilities in Portugal’s medicinal cannabis export monitoring system, dispatching several thousand kilograms of cannabis to illicit markets using falsified documents and certificates.
Based on the gathered evidence, PJ conducted national investigations aimed at collecting further evidence and halting the illegal activity that had been ongoing in recent months.
The two individuals arrested have appeared before the competent judicial authority and were subjected to non-custodial measures.
A PJ spokesperson noted that the “investigations are ongoing.”
