The Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 29 March 2023
by Mike Evans
Good day to you all and if you were able to call and say hello to us at the Mediterranean Garden Fair in Silves at the weekend, thank you for stopping by. The show was a busy event for us and as well as us being able to give out information regarding safety and security we also had with us two members of the GNR who were also on hand to offer advice on fire safety and forestry concerns. With the fire season coming closer it is imperative that we are all aware of what to do in case a fire is close by. Also the Land clearing deadline is fast approaching and if you live in a rural area it is something we all must adhere to and be aware of the issues and solutions required. We will continue to post information on this subject in our newsletters and on our Facebook page.
Now let’s look at some of the other stories that have been happening across the Algarve in the past week.
Man Arrested In Albufeira for Attempted Robbery
Last Friday, the GNR arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of having tried to rob a house and illegally possessing a weapon, in Albufeira , said the security force today.
According to a statement, the suspect fled after being “surprised by the owner”, and the GNR military then located the man who was arrested in possession of a pistol and other objects. The detainee was made an arguido and the facts communicated to the Judicial Court of Albufeira, concludes the note.
National Marine Authority speak of Success in Drug Seizure
The change in tactics in the fight against drug trafficking by sea on the Portuguese south coast has been a “success” and will continue with the various means already engaged, said the spokesman for the National Maritime Authority (AMN).
“There was, in fact, a change of tactics and the results are in sight. We were able to seize many more vessels, much more narcotic material and identify presumed elements linked to this drug trade. Therefore, this change in tactics has been a success”, said Commander José Sousa Luís, spokesman for the Portuguese Navy and AMN.
The official was speaking during a press conference at Faro ‘s commercial pier, convened following an operation carried out at dawn on Tuesday by the AMN, Navy and Portuguese Air Force, in collaboration with the Judiciary Police (PJ), which resulted in the seizure over two and a half tons of hashish and the arrest of three men. Although three vessels were detected, sailing in international waters, by an Air Force aircraft that monitored that area, two of them “fled to Spanish waters and an alert was given to the authorities” of the neighboring country, and it was only possible to apprehend one of the vessels.
After, in just two and a half months, “practically all the values” of the amount of drugs seized, of elements identified or detected in alleged trafficking and also of seizures of high-speed boats, registered throughout the year 2022, were beaten , with greater predominance on the south coast of Portugal, Commander José Sousa Luís pointed out three factors that explain the high numbers in the fight against drug trafficking by sea.
“It could possibly be due to an increase in the flow of drug trafficking to Portugal, but there was also a reinforcement of means by the Navy and the National Maritime Authority and also changes in our tactics”, he stressed.
Without wanting to specify details about the strategy used, under penalty of “giving information to the opponent”, the official guaranteed that this fight against drug trafficking will continue, with the commitment of various means, including those used in Tuesday’s operation : an Air Force aircraft, two Navy fast inspection boats, a Marine fast assault boat, a Maritime Police fast assault boat and a Navy helicopter.
More than 20 tons of drugs were seized this year by the National Maritime Authority, a number higher than the total for 2022, with 31 people having already been detained on suspicion of trafficking, which now rises to 34, when in 2022 they were detained or identified on suspicion of drug trafficking six people.
Until Friday last week, 20.20 tons of drugs had been seized, thus surpassing, in less than three months, the total number of drugs seized by the Maritime Police and the Navy throughout 2022, the year in which 16 were seized. 52 tons of drugs, especially hashish and cocaine.
The drug seized since the beginning of this year exceeds the previous year’s total by almost four tons and represents four times more than the amount of narcotics seized in 2021, when only 5.14 tons were seized.
Also present at the press conference, the director of the Faro PJ underlined that there are a series of hypotheses under investigation regarding the more than three dozen people already detained and the networks that operate on the Portuguese coast, but he did not clarify whether there are several networks, one only network, or “several networks that use the same carriers”.
Explaining that hashish has always been trafficked from the Moroccan coast to Portugal, namely to the Algarve, Fernando Jordão stressed that this type of crime was carried out “under different conditions”.
“If a few years ago we were talking about combat closer to the coast, because the vessels that transported [the drug] were different, today we have these realities. A different reality, which brings us more difficulties in terms of detecting the networks, but which makes detecting the drug much easier”, fulfilling the objective of “removing drugs from the market”, he stressed.
The drug trafficking suspects arrested in connection with these operations are all still in preventive detention, a coercive measure that has to be reviewed every three months.
Colonel Bernardo da Costa, spokesman for the Air Force, considered “fundamental” the articulation “between human capacity and technological capacity” displayed by the Portuguese authorities, with operations that have allowed “to fine-tune procedures and adjust all communication channels”, but which often result from normal maritime patrol missions.
“This co operation between the Air Force, Navy, AMN and PJ is fundamental, because with this we can carry out the detection at 300 miles – we have the capacity to do so – but if we do not have the means, and we are not able to transmit the information quickly, our detection is not consequential”, he concluded.
Loule Council Helps Raise Awareness of Forest Fires
The Municipal Civil Protection Service, in collaboration with the Nature and Environment Protection Service (SEPNA) of the GNR of Loulé, carried out, in the period between February 16th and March 15th, awareness-raising actions within the scope of the defence of the forest against fires.
These activities took place in the commercial spaces of parishes in the interior and in the monthly markets of Azinhal, Ameixial, Alte, Benafim and Salir, through the distribution of leaflets and posters with all the information on the subject.
“It has been the prerogative of the Municipal Civil Protection Service of Loulé to invest in a culture of security and civil protection, promoting actions aimed at specific segments of the population on probable risks and scenarios likely to happen” The Statement read, Thus, with these awareness actions, the main aim was to “inform the population of the obligation to proceed with the cleaning of a fuel management strip 50 metres wide, measured from the exterior masonry of the building and 100 metres in the agglomerations populations”. Also, self-protection procedures in case of fire and the importance of communicating fires to the Loulé Municipal Line 24, through the number 808 289 112, were issues addressed.
The Statement went on to say- “An informed community is a prepared community, and the best way for each one to be able to intervene is to be aware of the risks that exist in their environment, as well as the self-protection procedures that must be adopted, thus being able to minimise the damages resulting from an exceptional situation”.
Two High Speed Boats Intercepted in Drugs Haul
The Portuguese authorities seized two high-speed boats on Thursday and identified seven individuals, on suspicion of drug trafficking, in an operation in international waters south of Portugal. “The National Maritime Authority, the Portuguese Navy and the Portuguese Air Force, carried out a joint operation yesterday afternoon [Thursday] in international waters south of Portugal, which resulted in the seizure of two high-speed vessels and the identification of seven individuals, five of Moroccan nationality and two of Spanish nationality”, say the authorities in a statement.
According to the note, a Portuguese Air Force aircraft first detected two suspicious vessels, and then found that they did not have the respective identification (name and flag).
These steps led to the seizure of the boats, which contained 58 empty cans to store fuel, and the transport of their crew to the port closest to the place where the operation took place, for identification.
The statement reports that the approach to the vessels was carried out by two vessels, also at high speed, one from the Maritime Police, and another from the Portuguese Navy, operated by Marines. “As a precautionary measure, the seven individuals were transported to Faro for further identification, as well as the vessels were seized, and the Public Ministry was contacted for further steps” concludes the note.
According to information sent to Lusa, until last week, 20.20 tons of narcotics had been seized since the beginning of the year, surpassing, in less than three months, the total number of drugs seized by the Maritime Police and the Navy throughout 2022, year in which 16.52 tons of drugs were seized, mainly hashish and cocaine.
The drug seized in the first months of this year exceeds the total of the previous year by almost four tons and represents four times more than the amount of narcotics seized in 2021, when only 5.14 tons were seized.
The fight against drug trafficking has also been visible in the seizure of high-speed boats, with the National Maritime Authority advancing that 13 speedboats have already been seized in the first months of 2023, almost as many as the 15 that the Maritime Police (in collaboration with the Navy) seized during 2022.
Good news on the Crime front- Until the next time stay safe.