The five suspects arrested in this week’s “White Web” drug bust, one of the biggest in the Algarve’s history and focused largely in Portimão, have been revealed to be Venezuelan and Spanish nationals, according to Portugal’s Judicial Police (PJ), which today outlined further details of the case at its Lisbon headquarters.
At a press conference in Lisbon, the Judicial Police provided clarity on the operation which led to the seizure of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine, several boats, vehicles, and military-grade weapons. The five men, aged between 30 and 41, are being held in Lisbon: three in pre-trial detention and the remaining two awaiting the imposition of judicial measures.
The group of drug smugglers, described as having “strong logistical capacity and substantial financial resources”, operated primarily in the Algarve but maintained logistics across the country, using various locations (Valença, Aveiro, Guarda, Lezíria do Tejo and Setúbal) as storage points for equipment and narcotics. From there, the drugs were transported to Spain before being distributed across several European countries, PJ officers said.
“We have no indication that the drugs were intended for distribution in Portugal,” said Joaquim Trindade, from the PJ’s Criminal Investigation Department in Portimão.
The network’s geographical spread complicated detection. After several failed attempts, the National Republican Guard (GNR) mobilised hundreds of officers over several days and carried out an operation “without damage or injuries”, said commander João Martinho.
“The group was not very large but had considerable operational capacity and had often been successful [before the arrests],” Trindade explained, acknowledging that “the organisation has not been completely dismantled, but it has suffered a heavy blow” and that it was also supported by Portuguese nationals in its illegal activities.
“There was an urgent need to halt the organisation, as we were on the verge of a large cocaine landing on Portuguese shores,” he added, noting the drugs were concealed inside vehicles.
Alongside the narcotics, officers seized seven high-speed boats, 22 passenger and goods vehicles, some high-performance, as well as firearms unavailable to the general public: six AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifles, one VZ61 Skorpion submachine gun and two Glock pistols, in addition to ten watches valued at thousands of euros.
“We are not dealing with just any group, but one that knew exactly what it was doing and was dangerous,” Trindade said.
The operation was led by the PJ’s Criminal Investigation Department in Portimão in coordination with Spain’s National Police, with 11 residential search warrants executed.
The three-year investigation “is far from over”, said PJ official João Garcia, describing the case as “an exemplary” instance of both domestic cooperation among several security forces and international collaboration.
Spanish National Police representatives Alberto Morales and Emilio Rodriguez, also present at the briefing, stressed that “cooperation will continue”, calling it the only effective way to combat “organisations whose logistical capacity grows stronger every day”.
Source: PJ
