The trial of the 46 defendants of the 'Bosnian Mafia,' who are lined up to face charges of conspiracy, aiding illegal immigration, various scams, theft, forgery, domestic violence and mistreatment of minors, should rid Portugal of 'one gang crime wave' that stretched from the north of Portugal to the shores of the Algarve.
Sixteen of those involved have been held in jail since October 2012 following their arrests in a joint operation between the GNR and the Borders Police (SEF).
During house searches, officers discovered 30 undocumented children, abused and abandoned, many of them used by the gang to carry out crimes. These children have been held in institutions in Portugal ever since.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office in Lisbon, the defendants, mostly Bosnian or from the former Yugoslavia, "made up a criminal, organised and hierarchical gang which devoted itself to repeated thefts in Portugal between 2009 and 2012."
The Public Prosecutor's Office claims that the alleged criminal network of men, women and children, lived exclusively on the proceeds of crimes carried out from the north to the south of the country, particularly in the region of Lisbon, Fatima, central Oporto, Braga and across the Algarve where rich pickings were had from the region's unwary tourists.
The majority of thefts were committed on public transport and in holiday areas, with tourists being the main target. The indictment states that the defendants "worked in public places in groups of two or more in a concerted and planned manner."
The group was led by six of the defendants, the remainder are said to have been acting on their orders.
"The leaders of the organisation received a high income from this criminal activity, maintained several houses which appeared to be family properties with children, but where in fact the children were kept in a state of complete abandonment with no medical assistance and in a state of suffering and hunger," according to the case against the gang.
A Portuguese businesswoman is suspected of supporting and giving cover to the criminal network by forging property sale and leasing contracts.
The first session of the trial is scheduled for 09.00 on Monday 5th of May.
