Portuguese authorities have carried out one of their largest anti-drug operations in recent years, arresting five foreign suspects and seizing around 1,500 kilograms of cocaine along with automatic weapons, luxury vehicles, and high-speed boats.
The operation, codenamed ‘White Web’, was led by the Judiciary Police and took place in Portimão, in the district of Faro, as well as across Setúbal, Aveiro and Guarda, in close coordination with Spain’s Cuerpo Nacional de Policía.
The investigation began in 2023 and uncovered a criminal organisation operating between Portugal and Spain. The group specialised in importing large quantities of cocaine and hashish by sea and land before distributing them across the Iberian Peninsula.
Officers executed 11 house searches, recovering: Six AK-47 Kalashnikov machine guns with loaded magazines; one VZ61 Skorpion sub-machine gun; two Glock 17 pistols; around 1,300 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition; high-capacity magazines and rapid-reload “jungle style” equipment
Police also confiscated a wide range of assets believed to support the trafficking operation, including seven articulated lorries, seven high-speed boats allegedly used to transport narcotics, 22 cars, most of them high-end models, five motorcycles, three signal-blocking devices (“jammers”), luxury watches and jewellery worth thousands of euros, a large amount of cash, and forged documents and communications equipment
Due to the scale and complexity of the operation, investigators were supported by multiple Portuguese units, including the National Republican Guard (GNR) and the National Maritime Authority.
Internationally, assistance came from the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States and the MAOC-N, a European maritime intelligence body.
All five suspects have appeared before an investigating judge. Three have been remanded in custody, while the remaining two await the imposition of further judicial measures. The case is being led by Portugal’s central public prosecution department for serious crime.
Source: DN
