The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 1st March 2023
by Mike Evans
Good day to you all wherever you are along the Algarve or further afield. This week marks the one year anniversary of the War in Ukraine and the Algarve has been in the forefront of supporting those Ukrainians who were displaced when the war started, As a way of honouring all Ukrainians affected by the effects of the war, but also all those who have collaborated in helping their people, the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal organised a gathering of supporters in several Portuguese cities.
Whilst the region has always had a level of crime which is below many other places it is significant that over the past few months of reporting we are seeing a lot more drug captures across the region by the authorities than we have seen in previous years. This report sees another tranche of reports of drug offences as well as violent crimes.
One does of course have to put this in perspective and whilst it is still a concern it is still a generally peaceful place to live and work. As we move closer to the summer season with the news that Easter bookings are above expectations we should all be mindful that the influx of tourists to the region also brings with it the influx of those who seek to exploit the vulnerable in a criminal context.
Here are some of the stories which have happened over the past week in the region.
Two Arrested in Big Drug Bust Operation in Guadiana
The GNR , in collaboration with the Spanish Guardia Civil, detained on Wednesday at the mouth of the Guadiana River two men, aged 19 and 52, and seized two boats and about a hundred bales of hashish, it was announced today.
In a statement, the GNR refers that the operation was carried out as part of the surveillance of the coast and the fight against drug trafficking by sea, having seized a high-speed vessel, 12 metres long and with three engines, approximately 100 bales of hashish, and a five-metre pleasure craft with “a high-powered engine”.“Following an alert from the Guardia Civil surveillance teams to a high-speed vessel, steps were taken that allowed the interception, with the collaboration of the patrolling and maritime interception team of the Coastal Control sub-detachment of Vila Real de Santo António” , reads up on the note.
According to the GNR, the suspected vessel was already dry when the military arrived at the scene, without a crew on board and in Spanish territory, and the agents verified “the presence of small vessels in the vicinity, which sought to start an escape from the GNR by sea. ”.
The Coastal Control Unit (UCC) of the GNR, through the Coastal Control sub-detachment of Vila Real de Santo António, intercepted one of these vessels, flying the Spanish flag, with two suspected crew members.
Man Arrested for Shooting Homeowner during a Break In
The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a man suspected of having shot another man, on the 23rd, in Faro, causing serious injuries that led to his hospitalisation at the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve ( CHUA ) .
In a statement, the PJ indicated that the crime took place in the early hours of last Thursday, the 23rd, inside the victim’s residence, which the 42-year-old suspect had gained access to by means of a break-in. According to the police, following the investigation “it was possible to determine that the 38-year-old victim was shot with a firearm while sleeping”.
The victim “suffered injuries that, due to their severity, led to his being taken to the CHUA, where he remains hospitalised”, specified the police. During the police investigation, evidence was collected that led to the arrest of the presumed perpetrator of the crime, said the PJ.
The detainee, indicted for the crime of attempted Murder will be presented to the court to be heard in the first judicial interrogation and to apply any coercive measures.
Man’s Body found in Sea at Olhao
The body of a 62-year-old man of Mozambican nationality was found this Sunday floating in the fishing port of Olhão, according to the National Maritime Authority (AMN )
After being alerted by a member of the public, at 9:30 am, the authorities mobilized the Maritime Police and members of the Olhão Lifeguard Station, who removed the body from the water. The Captain of the Port of Olhão, Alexandre Algarvio, said that “the body was identified” through documentation that was in his possession.
“We were able to identify the body. He is a 62-year-old man of Mozambican nationality and residing in Olhão”, she explained. According to the same source, the body “did not show visible signs of violence, the causes of death being unknown”.
The corpse was transported to the Instituto Médico-Legal in Faro to determine the causes of death.
87-year-old Man Kidnapped, Robbed and Assaulted in Olhão
An 87-year-old man was kidnapped, assaulted and robbed at gunpoint in Olhão this week. The victim was driving his car in the city when he was approached by two men and a woman.
As reported by TVI this Wednesday, the suspects got into the victim’s car, threatened him with a gun and made him travel five kilometres to a plot of land in the parish of Moncarapacho .The suspects kept the victim’s hands tied and after stealing 400 euros, they stripped him from the waist down to attack him. The suspects fled on foot and are being sought by authorities.
The GNR went to the scene, but since a firearm was used to threaten the victim, the case was passed on to the Judiária Police of Faro, which is already investigating the case.
The victim, who was left with minor injuries, refused medical assistance.
36 People, Including 4 Children, Rescued After A Tourist Boat Sank
A group of 36 people, 4 of which were children, were rescued earlier this week after the tourist boat they were on sank, just off the coast at Lagoa near the Alfanzina lighthouse.
The passengers, all wearing life jackets, were rescued from the sea by the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station, and transported to the Clube Naval de Portimão for medical assistance. Nobody suffered any injuries.
The alert was received by the local Maritime Police around 1:30 pm on Monday, and a group of boats were sent to the location to carry out the rescue, which took place effectively and without the need for any victim to receive hospital assistance.
“There were 36 people on board, including two crew members and four children. As soon as the incident was received, resources from the Maritime Policy, Ferragudo Lifeguard Station and other maritime-tourist vessels were sent to the location. When they arrived, the people all had their vests on and were pulled out of the water,” said the port captain.
After being given a clean bill of health, the passengers were taken in a bus provided by the Portimão City Council to the hotels where they were staying.
Fifty operatives participated in the operation, supported by 18 vehicles and three boats, one for firefighters, another for the Maritime Police and one for the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station and several other maritime-tourist boats, the port captain said. Questioned about the reason for the boat sinking, the port captain confirmed that an investigation will be opened to determine the causes.
To end this report we bring some good news for all residents of the Algarve.
German Foundation Donates more than One Million Euros to CHUA
The Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA) received this Wednesday, the 22nd, a donation from the Dieter Morszeck Foundation in the amount of one million and 500 thousand euros, announced the hospital centre.
The donation from the German foundation will support “structuring projects for the CHUA”, of which the Center for Pediatric Development and Intensive Rehabilitation, the new structure for the creation of the Center for Medically Assisted Procreation (PMA) and multiple improvements in field of Ophthalmology. According to Ana Varges Gomes, Chairman of the Board of Directors, “this donation will benefit, above all, projects linked to the area of paediatrics, from the Pediatric Development Center to Medically Assisted Procreation, such as the areas of physiotherapy for children with some type of of pathology and equipment that make it possible to make diagnoses that, until now, were not possible”. The objective is that “ children can complete their therapeutic journey in the Algarve, without having to leave the region. In other words, empowering the region to treat our children better”, she says.
The Foundation’s president, Dieter Morszeck, stressed “the importance of being able to help children, who are our future. With this project we are going to make some dreams come true and I am very proud to be able to help you”. With investments in several sectors, all over the world, this is the second project in the health area in Portugal supported by Dieter Morszeck.
Alexander Rathenau, honorary consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, also highlighted the initiative as “an example of the partnership between Portugal and Germany”, thanking the Foundation and the Board of Directors for the donation “for the fact that they accepted this challenge” and took “forward projects”.
The presentation of the objectives of this protocol was in charge of the executive member of the Board of Directors, Paulo Neves, who underlined the responsibility of receiving a donation that has the deadline of February 2024 and that “is focused on young people and childhood , but which is transversal to all CHUA units and intends to give everyone a better opportunity for the future”. “For each euro now donated, CHUA will have to make the same amount of investment, doubling the amount”, he said.
Until the next time Stay Safe.