It was reported on 18th March that a Spanish couple were arrested by GNR Loule, in Vale de Eguas having come from Spain to purchase drugs here in Portugal.
The GNR stopped their vehicle and found a total of 375 doses of heroin in their possession. A Portuguese national was also identified in selling the drugs to them. It has been reported in the local media that the couple came from Ayamonte and Huelva in Spain due to the shortage of drugs supply in that area.
The Judicial Police, following an investigation against against organized trafficking in narcotic drugs, carried out in recent days, a major operation that culminated in the arrest of seven people, six men and a woman, alleged to be involved in drug trafficking.
The detainees comprising three residents of the Porto area and four from Coimbra district, are suspected of constituting a network that supplied the downtown area of various types of narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy.
The operation conducted in the central and northern areas of the country, resulted in addition to the arrests Judicial Police seizing about 17,600 doses of hashish (about eight kilograms), 1800 doses of heroin, 300,000 thousand doses of cocaine, fifty doses of ecstasy, three precision scales, a grinder, a colander, a melee weapon, a gun, a car and €10,315 in cash.
The detainees, aged between 18 and 47, some of them with criminal records for the same type of crime, were appeared at the first court hearing, probation having been applied to two of them and the other periodic presentations to the authorities and prohibition of contacts between them.
On 14th and 15th of March, the GNR throughout the country conducted an operation involving the control and surveillance at international and national railway stations located within its area of responsibility, with the aim of combating crime.
Various units were involved including SEPNA. The operation took place at: 197 railway stations, on 202 trains, involving 728 passengers and 1469 items of baggage. In total three individuals were arrested for drug trafficking and illegal immigration, 4210.85 doses of hashish and 9.6 doses of heroin were seized. One of those arrested was a Moroccan national who alighted from an AP train in Tunes, Algarve in which drugs to the value of around €10,000 were discovered in his rucksack.
The “7th 24BLUE RAIL ACTION DAY” operation is an initiative of the European organization RAILPOL (European Police Railways Network), of which the GNR is a member. The aim is to conduct simultaneous controls at the main European railway lines, with a view to increasing safety in railways and combating crime, as well as strengthening cooperation between Member States.
The operation focused at cross border crime in the country as well as the following types of crime: thefts / robberies in trains and stations; theft of non-precious metals at stations, lines, trains and signalling; illegal immigration , drug trafficking; related to aggressive or antisocial behaviour and related freight train graffiti crime and criminality, damage, vandalism.
On 15th March the GNR Coastal Control sub-division Vila Real de Santo António stopped, at 17:00 hrs a foreigner aged 40 years and seized approximately 550 kilos of hashish, a vessel and a towing vehicle.
When the GNR arrived at the fishing port to inspect the vessel, they encountered two individuals in the process of towing it out of the water. One of the suspects then fled and the other tried to escape using a private car but was apprehended.
After a brief search, it was found that the vessel had a false bottom, which contained within it about 17 bales of hashish.
The Judicial Police have passed to the Public Prosecutor of the Court in Lousa, the conclusion of their investigation into a criminal network which included two PSP agents responsible for carrying out 20 burglaries and robberies in Celhos da Lousa, Coimbra.
The two PSP agents had earlier been arrested by the Judicial Police. One of those arrested was caught in September 2013 breaking into a house in Lousa using a service weapon. During the incident it is alleged that he assaulted the occupant using the butt of his weapon.
It is reported that the houses targeted had been specially selected as the owners were known. The PSP agents have been charged with criminal association, theft, robbery and receiving stolen goods.
On 14th March the Center for Criminal Investigation of GNR Tavira, apprehended a 17 year old youth in connection with the theft of mopeds and bicycles in the municipality of Castro Marim.
The GNR commenced the investigation in February after reports of the theft of a mopeds in Castro Marim. When confronted by the GNR he admitted the theft and the involvement of other young persons.
A warehouse was subsequently located in the parish of Azinhal where two stolen velocipedes, a moped and bicycles were discovered.
It is suspected that the youth maybe involved in five other cases in the last month in that county, together with four other youths, all under 16.
It was reported by the BBC on 13th March 2014, that a health watchdog in the UK is warning that thousands of people have been sent hoax emails suggesting they have cancer.
The messages appear to come from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
It says the contents are likely to be distressing and has reported the hoax to the police.
It is not clear exactly how many people are affected, but based on the high number of calls to the organisation it is thought to number thousands.
Sir Andrew Dillon, the chief executive of NICE, said: “A spam email purporting to come from NICE is being sent to members of the public regarding cancer test results.
“This email is likely to cause distress to recipients since it advises that ‘test results’ indicate they may have cancer.
“This malicious email is not from NICE and we are currently investigating its origin. We take this matter very seriously and have reported it to the police.”
NICE is advising people who have received the email – the subject line of which is important blood analysis result – to delete it without opening it and not to click on any links.
Comment
A very nasty type of hoax email aimed solely at causing alarm and distress. No reports I have been passed to Safe Communities Algarve that anyone in the British community hear in the Algarve has received this hoax email.
In recent days several news and commentary on the social networks have been published, illustrating a video posted on YOUTUBE and where an alleged police officer undresses in establishment in Porto.
The man in question is wearing a uniform of the Special Police Unit. Based on this the PSP launched an investigation to determine whether or not this was a serving police officer.
It has been concluded that this is a video regarding a spectacle occurred in 2011 and that the man in question, is a professional dancer not a police officer. Such people perform in various establishments in Porto making use of numerous professional uniforms and costumes.
The film, a gay bar in Porto, has been placed on YouTube in May 2011, but only now started to attract attention, following the case of a GNR officer recently suspended after a striptease session with uniform service and a gun in a nightclub in the Oliveira Azeméis.
On the early hours of 12th March 2014 GNR Loulé conducted an anti-crime operation involving the execution of a search warrant at a residence located in Alte, within the municipality of Loulé.
The operation was the culmination of a 3 month investigation and resulted in the arrest of a Portuguese citizen, aged 61 years old, drug trafficking and the unlawful possession of various weapons.
During the operation the following was seized: three shotguns, two semi-automatic weapons, a rifle, a compressed air weapon, a telescopic sight, tear gas canister, dozens of cartridges and ammunition of various calibre (including military ammo), and various knives and a military helmet. A small quantity of drugs was also seized; namely four individual doses of marijuana.
The detainee is to appear at the Judicial District Court of Loulé for remand pending trial.
On 9th March the Centre of Criminal Investigation GNR Tavira conducted an operation against drug trafficking, executing three search warrants at two residences located in Olhão and another residence located in Castro Marim.
The operation which continued until 10th March, followed an investigation that had been conducted over the last year and culminated in the arrest of three persons aged 23, 25 and 31 years of age, and the detention of a 19 year old all for drug trafficking.
During the operation the GNR seized 279 individual doses of heroin, two firearms and various ammunition, an extendable baton, a melee weapon, two cars and €2,200 in cash, as well as many articles related to packaging and distribution of narcotic products, in the form of direct sale to the consumer.
Upon the completion of this operation the GNR believes that this has delivered a severe blow to drug trafficking activity in the municipalities of Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António.
The detainees, one of whom had a criminal record for the crime of serious assault, will be presented at the Judicial District Court of Faro and Vila Real de Santo António for application to be placed in remand pending trial.