Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 10th July 2024
by Mike Evans
Good day to you all. With the summer holidays about to reach their peak, this brings the expected millions of tourists to our area. Whilst this is great news for all the businesses that work within the tourism industry we should all take a moment for those of us who live here to be vigilant to the rise of the dreaded “covid 19 virus”
Whilst the Algarve receives tourists from all parts of the world, the UK during the summer is the country which has the most holidaymakers arriving in the Algarve and it is from there that we see that the cases of Covid 19 are on the increase. Up to the end of June the UK saw a total of 3,230 people over a 7 day period register with the virus, an increase of 15% week on week. Experts believe that the true figure is probably 10 times this figure.
At the end of May, Portugal had an average of 130 notifications of positive cases of Covid-19 per day and in the last seven days the daily average was around 390, said the professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, noting that at the beginning of May the number of notifications was “very low”, around ten cases. Whilst the current strain is nowhere near as dangerous as in 2019/20 it is important that we still follow the advice given by the DGS about washing hands regularly and when sneezing to make sure we cover our noses as well as possible. As with the pandemic it is the elderly who are at most risk so while we all want to enjoy the summer be mindful of the virus and if with the elderly try and keep clear of crowds.
Now a look at what else has been happening in the past week across the region.
GNR Arrests 4 Individuals linked to a Drug Trafficking Network in Loulé
The GNR’s Faro Territorial Command, through the Loulé Criminal Investigation Unit (NIC), carried out, between the 2nd and 3rd of July, an operation which resulted in the arrest of four men aged between 20 and 48 years old, for trafficking in narcotic products, in the municipality of Loulé.
As part of an investigation into drug trafficking, which lasted 15 months, GNR officers carried out police investigations that revealed the modus operandi of the drug trafficking network.
“It was possible to determine that the drug traffickers always acted extremely carefully and used several high-powered vehicles, selling the narcotic product in the Algarve region”, details the GNR in a statement. The military personnel from the NIC of Loulé and the Intervention Detachment (DI) of Faro carried out three house searches and five non-house searches, namely in vehicles, through which the four suspects were arrested.
The searches also resulted in the seizure of 5,651 euros in cash; 520 pounds; four high-powered passenger vehicles; seven mobile phones; 153 doses of cocaine; 13 doses of cannabis (pollen); 16,000 doses of cannabis oil; 570 doses of marijuana; 44 MDMA tablets; 35 doses of MDMA; 21 luxury watches; five bags of hallucinogenic gum; and various materials used to prepare individual doses of the drug.
The detainees were brought before the Faro Judicial Court on Thursday, July 4, to apply the coercive measures.
Man Arrested for Rape in Faro
The Southern Directorate of the Judicial Police arrested a 27-year-old man, due to strong evidence of the crime of rape, which occurred in the municipality of Faro, the PJ reported .
The facts date back to the early hours of October 20, 2023, the date on which the PJ received communication of the complaint, formalised with the police authorities by the victim herself.
Following the investigation, according to the PJ, it was possible to determine that the victim, a 19-year-old woman, was approached by an unknown person when she was leaving the space where a popular fair was taking place. At that time, she was allegedly coerced into sexual acts, through threats using a sharp weapon. “The sexual assault took place on a public road in a secluded location, and the victim was unable to seek help from any passers-by,” reads the statement.
The set of steps taken allowed the identification of the suspect and the collection of relevant evidence, with the arrest of the alleged perpetrator being carried out on Wednesday, July 3, after his return from an absence abroad.
The detainee will be brought before the competent judicial authority for the application of coercive measures.
The investigation is led by the Public Prosecution Services, Department of Investigation and Criminal Prosecution of Faro.
Man Wanted for Thefts in S. Brás is in Preventive Detention
The Faro Judicial Court ordered the preventive arrest of a 27-year-old man who was wanted for thefts from homes and vehicles in São Brás de Alportel, the GNR announced on Tuesday. According to a statement from that security force, the suspect had been arrested on Saturday following a complaint of “breaking into a residence”.
It was later discovered that the detainee was the target of an arrest warrant, as part of an investigation into “burglaries in residences, thefts and use of vehicles, thefts inside vehicles and violation of domicile”, which occurred in the municipality of São Brás de Alportel.
Woman named defendant for motorhome theft in Portimão
A 40-year-old woman has been named a defendant in an investigation that in recent days led to the recovery of a motorhome stolen in the municipality of Portimão, the GNR revealed on Tuesday .According to the statement released, the suspect is the partner of a man previously detained and subject to the coercive measure of preventive detention as part of an investigation into a vehicle theft that occurred on May 1.
Following the investigation, search warrants were executed which allowed the recovery and seizure of several items, such as “a stolen motorhome, valued at several thousand euros, a stolen electric bicycle, valued at around three thousand euros, and a light passenger vehicle with foreign registration”.
Collision Between Boats on the Arade River leaves 3 slightly injured
Two maritime tourist vessels – one with three and the other with four passengers on board – collided on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 2, on the Arade River, in Portimão . The causes of the accident are unknown, according to the National Maritime Authority ( AMN ). The collision resulted in three minor injuries.
Following an alert received from a member of the public who was on the beach at 2:30 pm, reporting that an accident had occurred between two boats in front of the Portimão Navy pier, members of the Portimão Maritime Police Local Command and crew from the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station were immediately called to the scene, AMN details in a statement. Members of the Portimão Fire Department also went to the scene.
“Upon arrival at the scene, it was found that the collision had resulted in three minor injuries, to whom first aid was already being given by members of the Navy ships that were docked at the Portimão Naval Support Point, as well as by a team of Marines,” the note adds. The crew of the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station subsequently transported two of the victims – two American women (aged 57 and 22) – to the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station, where they were waiting for the Firefighters who assisted them and then transported them to a hospital unit.
The third victim, a 57-year-old man, left the scene on his own using his own boat.
According to AMN, the remaining passengers on the damaged vessels were also transported by the crew of the Lifeboat Station and by the military personnel on the Navy ship’s launch to the Ferragudo Lifeboat Station.
The owners of the vessels were notified that they cannot sail until an inspection is carried out to prove “their seaworthiness conditions”.
The local command of the Portimão Maritime Police took charge of the incident, and a maritime accident procedure was opened to determine the causes of the accident. The AMN also guarantees that there is no source of pollution in the Arade River.
GNR Operation results in 75 Arrests
The GNR police carried out a series of operations in the district of Faro, during the week of July 1st to 7th. The operations aimed to prevent various crimes, including violent crime, and road inspections.
In total, during the week there were 75 arrests in the Algarve, including 20 for driving under the influence of alcohol, 9 for driving without a legal licence and 7 for drug trafficking.
4 high-powered passenger vehicles, 198 doses of cocaine, 16,000 doses of cannabis oil, 21 luxury watches, 9 mobile phones, 5 cannabis plants and various materials used to prepare individual doses of narcotics were seized. Regarding traffic, 370 infractions were detected, of which 143 were due to speeding, 32 due to lack of mandatory periodic inspection, 22 related to anomalies in lighting and signalling systems, 11 due to lack of or incorrect use of seat belts and/or restraint systems for children, 10 for improper use of a cell phone while driving and 7 for lack of civil liability insurance.
The GNR detected 173 accidents, resulting in 2 deaths, 2 serious injuries and 29 minor injuries.
Body of Man found in Olhao Harbour
The body of a man was found floating inside the fishing port of Olhão on Wednesday afternoon, with the causes of the incident so far unknown.
After an alert at around 4pm, via members of the public who were in the area, members of the Olhão Maritime Police Local Command and INEM’s Emergency and Resuscitation Medical Vehicle (VMER) immediately went to the scene.
The 45 year old Guinean man was declared dead at the scene by the VMER doctor.
“Upon arriving at the scene, it was found that it was the body of a man, and it was removed from the water by a member of the public who was in the area,” says the National Maritime Authority in a statement.
“Death was declared on site by the VMER doctor, and the body was transported, after contact with the Public Ministry, to the Institute of Legal Medicine of Faro”.
The Olhão Maritime Police Local Command took charge of the incident.
Crash on N125 leaves One dead.
A man died on the morning of the 3rd July as a result of a collision between a heavy goods vehicle and a passenger car, on the EN125, in Portimão.
According to the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command, the accident occurred at 6:30am, in the Portimão-Lagos direction, causing traffic to be closed in both directions until around 10am.
The head-on collision between the two vehicles “resulted in the death of the driver of the passenger car”. The accident occurred at kilometre 44 of the EN125, next to the ‘new bridge’ over the Arade river, to Portimão, “with the causes of the collision unknown”.
The GNR’s Traffic Accident Criminal Investigation Unit (NICAV) is investigating, to determine the causes of the accident.
Portimao Man arrested on Sexual Assault Charges
In Portimão, a man has now been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a 14 year old girl, causing her to become pregnant. In a statement, the police revealed that they arrested the 41 year old man “for the alleged authorship of several crimes of sexual abuse of dependent minors, or those in a particularly vulnerable situation and violating their private life”.
The crimes were committed between July 2022 and October 2023, in Portimão, “making the victim a teenager who at the time the events began had turned 14”. According to a police source, the suspect was placed under house arrest after the first judicial interrogation.
The investigation conducted by the Portimão Criminal Investigation Department was initiated following the detection of the minor’s pregnancy, who gave birth at the end of last year.
The police statement says, “the significant sexual contacts took place inside the suspect’s home, who took advantage of the relationship of trust he had with the minor”.
10 Arrests Made During Afro Nation Festival
The PSP made 10 arrests during the Afro Nation Festival, which took place from 26th to 30th June in Praia da Rocha, Portimão and attracted around 35,000 each day.
According to the police, the arrests resulted from crimes of drug trafficking, resistance and coercion against an employee, driving without a legal licence and speculation.
Five reports were also issued for offences due to possession of a narcotic product and sale and/or possession of nitrous oxide.
In total, the PSP seized 458 doses of marijuana, 504 doses of cocaine, 245 doses of amphetamines, 400 doses of hashish, 74 canisters of nitrous oxide and €1424 in cash, which police suspect came from drug trafficking.
Policing of the event involved, “around 200 police officers from its various departments, committed daily, whose actions aimed to guarantee public order, the management of road traffic and the prevention of criminal activities that generate a feeling of insecurity in the community”.
Until the next time Stay Safe…