The GNR seized over 8000 litres of illegally distilled medronho brandy at the end of last week, expected to have a 'street value' of over €250,000.
Eight men and one woman were identified, aged between 40 and 72 years old at the three “unauthorized” distilleries and warehouses in Loulé, Silves and Tavira.
The brandy seized “outside the production warehouse” would have a value of €257,469 and when sold would have caused a loss of €97,050 to the Portuguese State in Special Consumption Tax and Added Value Tax, estimated the security force, in a statement.
According to the GNR, the operations were carried out after “three investigations that had been going on for about a year”, aimed at combating the “parallel circuit for the sale of medronho brandy outside its production warehouse”.
In addition to the medronho brandy, “two stills” used to produce the drink, valued at around €3000 were seized.
The “main objective” of these actions was to ensure “compliance with the legal provisions for the production, storage and sale of alcoholic beverages”, to “combat the parallel economy in Portugal” and “to guarantee the hygienic-sanitary conditions” of production, said the security force.
