Two men, aged 19 and 26, have been arrested by the GNR in Silves on suspicion of fraud, after allegedly collecting a series of strangers’ parcels from CTT, Portugal's postal service, the force said in a statement. The suspect were caught with goods worth about €3,500, the GNR says.
Officers established that the suspects had been posing as CTT employees to pick up parcels for supposed deliveries, according to the statement from the GNR's Faro Territorial Command, issued through the Silves Criminal Investigation Unit.
The men, aged 19 and 26, were caught in the act on 2 October. One of them was wearing a CTT vest to pass himself off as a member of staff.
The older suspect is a former CTT employee, "a circumstance that allowed him to know the procedures for collecting and distributing parcels", the statement said.
The men were stopped outside a CTT branch carrying parcels worth about €3,500, the authorities said. Police then searched both men's homes.
Officers seized four parcels, several premium bags, footwear, watches, and clothing, two mobile phones, a computer, a set of precision scales, and a CTT vest. They also found ten doses of hashish, one dose of cannabis, and 0.89 grams of MDMA.
The pair have since appeared in court and are awaiting the outcome of proceedings. The seizures were carried out with help from officers at the Armação de Pêra station.
Source: GNR
Photo credit: GNR
