Month: November 2016

The Regional Command of PSP Madeira, through the action of the Police Division of Câmara de Lobos, conducted last weekend (26^th/27^th November 2016) a Special Operation of Criminal Prevention (OEPC) in the municipalities of Ribeira Brava and Câmara de Lobos .

This operation resulted in the arrest of nine citizens – eight who were caught driving under the influence of alcoholic substances and one for possessing a prohibited electric weapon (taser) outside the legal conditions and for trafficking of narcotic substances – and for the identification of twenty five suspects of various offences.

The person detained for a prohibited electric weapon (vulgo taser); was also in possession of: 52 individual doses of hash; more than 130 grams of crude precious metal (gold); about 160 grams of silver metal; various metal rings; earrings and telecommunications equipment; a sum of 370 euros in cash and a light passenger car.

The person, after being accused and subject to expiry of identity and residence, will be present today to the judicial authority, subject to first judicial interrogation and application of the corresponding coercion measures.

All the seized material was kept in the custody for the corresponding criminal process.

At the level of the prevention of deviant consumption associated with narcotics, two reports were filed for misdemeanor (consumption), which resulted in the seizure of about 5 individual doses of liamba,” the police statement said.

In the field of road safety, a total of 296 motor vehicles were checked in a speeding operation; detecting 4 very serious offences (for driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding); 12 serious offenses (for the same reasons); and 4 minor infringements (for various reasons); the seizure of 9 titles and various documents for various  misdemeanour.

The criminal identification of 3 drivers with a blood alcohol content higher than the legal limit, but susceptible to the legal margin of error, has been put before, before the competent judicial authority, for decision.

 

 

An English tourist around 43 years died on 26^th November 2016 in Madeira after falling whilst walking along the Levada do Norte in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, according to the Serviço Regional de Proteção Civil (SRPC).

The SRPC was alerted by her husband, at about 11:30 hours, and a team of Bombeiros Voluntários da Ribeira Brava, arrived at the location.

According to the SRPC, when firefighters arrived at the scene the tourist had no signs of life. The tourist, whose nationality and exact age is still unknown, fell from a height of about 100 meters.

The PSP Metropolitan Command of Lisbon, through the Police Division of Oeiras and the staff of the “Safe School” program, detained on the 24^th November, at 9:45 am, a 16 year old student for trafficking in narcotics. The student of a school in the municipality of Oeiras is suspected of selling drugs directly in the school community, especially in the secondary school.

The suspect was intercepted in possession of: 202.4 Doses of narcotic product, suspected to be Hashish; 60 Euros; a knife with residues of narcotic product;

The detainee was present at the services of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Oeiras, for first interrogation, and the investigation was discontinued at this stage.

On November 22, in the districts of Lisbon and Setúbal, a series of investigations were carried out by the Military of the Criminal Investigation Center of Faro in the context of an investigation by the DIAP of Faro, which resulted in the arrest of three men and the seizure EUR 9 000 in cash.

As part of the investigation into qualified theft, six searches were carried out at homes, and 12 vehicles, resulting in the seizure of 9 thousand euros and two cars.

The group, resident in the Lisbon metropolitan area and Setúbal, was active throughout the country, monitoring potential victims inside banking facilities. After that, they carried out high monetary surveys, followed them and carried out the thefts Inside the vehicles of the victims or in places frequented by them.

It should be noted that in the context of the present investigation, five citizens of the same group, aged between 60 and 70, were arrested in October 2014, and several objects and large amounts of money have been apprehended in connection with the criminal activity

The detainees, aged between 28 and 59, are currently being presented to the Faro Court.

The operation was developed jointly with the Territorial Commands of Setúbal and Lisbon, and also had the support of the District Commands of Setúbal and Lisbon of the Public Security Police.

The Metropolitan Command of Lisbon of the PSP, through the Police Division of Vila Franca de Xira, in an investigation begun about a year ago, conducted several police operations resulting in the arrest of six suspects, aged between 28 and 38 years, from Eastern European countries who were involved in theft in residential homes.

The suspects were regularly undertaking in burglaries by break-ins stealing jewellery and money.

In the execution of Arrest Warrants issued by the Judicial Authority, the following seizures were made; 5 vehicles (high cylinder), stolen from the interior of the dwellings (with their own keys) and used for the consummation of other burglaries;  Several articles used for the practice of robberies: Tools; Communications equipment (mobile phones and walkie-talkies);  Specific clothing (clothing, gloves, caps and footwear); Several jewels and objects in gold; Luxury watches; Multiple car keys, of unknown origin; 2650 Euros, and 50 US Dollars;

The detainees were present at the Court of Vila Franca de Xira, for the first judicial interrogation, and the measure of coercion of presentations 5 times a week for two of the detainees and the most serious measure of preventive detention, was applied to the remaining four detainees.

Seizure of 850 kg of tobacco leaf and 320 thousand euros

The Fiscal Action Unit, through the Oporto Tax Action Detachment, conducted an operation on 25^th November in Gondomar, involving a factory dealing in the illegal transformation of tobacco leaf and seized 850 kilos of tobacco leaves with an estimated value of 165 Thousand euros, among other material.

The operation involved two home searches and two non-domiciliary searches, resulting in the arrest of a 52 year old man and the seizure of:

• EUR 320 000 in cash;
• 53 kilograms of molten silver, with estimated value over 36 thousand euros,
• Two computers and seven pieces of telecommunications equipment;
• One illegal weapon and 120 rounds of ammunition;
• 60 packs of manufactured tobacco;
• 160 packets of fine-cut tobacco;
• Two scales;
• Three tobacco leaf grinding machines.

The suspect was arrested whilst caught in the act when he was seven pallets with 850 kilos of tobacco leaf. He has been subjected to house remand pending trial.

It was reported on 23^rd November that the National Police in Spain have arrested 63 “mules” in a European operation against money laundering. The police action, coordinated by Europol, resulted in the arrest of 178 people across Europe. Money mules play a crucial role in money laundering and criminal networks have access to the goods or stolen funds without revealing your identity. Those arrested in Spain could be involved in bank movements amounting to 3 million euros.

The operation was supported by the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) of Europol and the Task Force Joint Action Against Cybercrime (J-CAT) and Eurojust and the European Banking Federation (EBF) forces participated plus security and judicial authorities in Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, United Kingdom, Ukraine and the United States.

Across Europe, 580 money mules were identified and the national law enforcement agencies interviewed 380 suspects in the course of the action week (14-18 November 2016), with overall reported losses amounting to EUR 23 million. During the week of the joint action, Europol and Eurojust set up a command post and a judicial coordination centre to assist the national authorities, cross-check all incoming data against the databases and collect intelligence for further analysis. Europol also deployed mobile offices to Italy and Romania. The successful hit on this wide-spread crime was supported by 106 banks and private partners.

On 16^th November at around 22.00 hrs the PSP Command Lisbon through the division of criminal investigation, arrested, a man, aged 42 years suspected of drug trafficking in the area of Amadora.

This arrest was the culmination of an investigation lasting about eight months. As a result of this investigation, a search warrant was obtained and executed with the following being seized:

• 2 single doses of product suspect to be cocaine;
• 1560 euros in cash of the ECB, and
• 2 cell phones.

The Detainee, with a criminal record for various crimes, appeared before a court in Lisbon with an application ti be remanded in prison pending trial.

The crew of the Maritime Police service in Selvagens yesterday carried out a control operation and inspections of three foreign sailboats that approached those islands and wanted to anchor there and disembark eleven crew.

According to information released this afternoon by the Maritime Police, the three sailboats had the home port of Quinta do Lorde, in Caniçal, and intended to continue the trip to Lanzarote, La Palma and La Gomera in the Canary Islands. Police officers found the documentation of sailboats and crew and rescue means existing on board, “being all in legal status.”

The Maritime Police said that carrying out the maritime surveillance radar system to feature “Costa Segura”, which is under permanent monitoring. Police highlighted the Selvagens has the primary mission to ensure the effective exercise of state authority, particularly as regards the surveillance, monitoring, patrolling and police exercise, especially for the protection and preservation of the marine environment and safety navigation, people and goods across the maritime area.

DN Noticais reports that Venezuelan police rescued on Saturday 19th November 2016 , a Portuguese farmer of 57 years who was kidnapped six days ago in the state of Miranda, south of Caracas.

José Gonçalves, was rescued during an operation involving Scientific Investigations Corps agents, Penal and Criminal (CICPC, former Judicial Technical Police), the Miranda Police and the Bolivarian National Guard (military police).

The Portuguese farmer, according to police sources, was abducted by seven armed men on Monday, along with another Portuguese farmer, Augustine Baptist when they were farming their land in the municipality of Guaicaipuro (Miranda state).

Saturday, when police arrived at the hideout, the kidnappers exchanged gunfire with officers.

Three of the kidnappers managed to escape, taking with them the other Portuguese farmer kidnapped.

The police continued with investigations and found him.