The Judiciary Police (PJ) detained five people, seized 1.5 tons of cocaine, automatic weapons, speedboats suspected of being used in drug trafficking, as part of the “Teia Branca” operation, in which a “transnational criminal organization, with bases throughout the national territory and in Spain”, was dismantled.
The five detainees, foreign citizens, were present for the first judicial interrogation, and three of them were subject to the coercive measure of preventive detention. The rest are awaiting the application of coercive measures, the PJ reported this Friday, February 20th.
Through the Criminal Investigation Department of Portimão, the Judiciary Police, in “close coordination with the National Police Team, launched a police operation in recent days to combat international drug trafficking in the districts of Faro, Setúbal, Aveiro and Guarda”.
The investigation began in 2023 and allowed “to dismantle a transnational criminal organization, with bases throughout the national territory and in Spain.
This criminal network introduced “high quantities of cocaine and hashish, by sea and land”, which were then “distributed throughout the Iberian Peninsula”, says the PJ, in a statement.
In this “White Web” operation, 11 home search warrants were executed in an investigation carried out by the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action.
In addition to the 1.5 tons of cocaine, the PJ seized a “collection of automatic weapons and ammunition”, more specifically six AK 47 Kalashnikov machine guns, a VZ61 skorpion submachine gun and two Glock pistols.
They were also seized seven galleys (semi-trailers for trucks), seven speed boats “suspected of being used in drug trafficking”, in addition to 22 cars, most of them high-end, five motorcycles, various jewelry items and luxury brand watches valued at several thousand euros, a large amount of money, false documentation (passport, ID card, driving license) and computer and communications equipment.
Given the “complexity” of the operation, collaboration was provided by the Southern and Northern Directorates of the PJ, the National Unit to Combat Drug Trafficking (UNCTE) of the PJ, the Criminal Investigation Department (DIC) of Guarda and Aveiro, the GNR Command of Setúbal, the Special Operations Intervention Group (GIOE) of the GNR, the Coastal and Border Control Unit (UCCF) of the GNR and the National Maritime Authority.
Within the scope of international cooperation, the authorities’ efforts also included the collaboration of the Spanish National Police through the Greco Group, the US DEA and the MAOC-N (Maritime Analysis and Operations Center – Narcotics).
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