Trial begins today at the Beja Court, before a Collective of Judges, a family drug trafficking network that was dismantled in 5 December 2022, in Aljustrel, by GNR.
Group includes father, son, daughter-in-law and a second cousin. This last defendant and his partner, they also had housing in the Palmela area.
Three are in pre-trial detention, the two men (John and Richard) and the woman (Teresa), and the “patriarch” (Francisco) was released, with periodic presentations, there are four more defendants (LuĂs, Louis G. and Andrew) among them the companion (Maria) of the suspect of leading the group.
The eight defendants have among 23 and 48 year old, they are all natural from Aljustrel, seven are accused of a crime of aggravated drug trafficking committed in co-authorship, it is a, the oldest defendant, of a crime of the same nature, but less serious.
The process includes 51 prosecution witnesses, and 46 consumers who bought drugs from the group, 4 military core of Criminal Investigation (NIC) of the GNR of Aljustrel and a PJ inspector linked to the Asset Recovery Office.
The group was dedicated to selling narcotic products in the municipalities of Aljustrel, Castro Verde and Palmela, and was investigated for several months by the military from the GNR NIC and the family bond between the suspects led to intense work by the investigators to act at the “right moment”.
The operation complied with 12 search warrants, with three domiciles worth highlighting, six in vehicles and three in establishments, that took place in the three municipalities where the suspects resided and sold the drug.
They were seized 250 hashish doses and 20 Cocaine, 22 ecstasy tablets, 198 Tablets used as a cutting product, 15 nicotine sachets and three bottles of nitrous oxide. Used in the development of criminal activity, seven mobile phones were taken by the Guard military, five precision scales, a petard, one scissors and six knives. The authorities also seized 3.675 euro cash, 40 pounds in cash, 17 gold and two silver rings, six vehicles and a watercraft, which they consider to result from the sale of narcotics to consumers.
The two male defendants, of 41 and 26 year old, are in preventive detention at the Prison Establishment (EP) de Beja and his wife, of 23 year old, on Odemira's EP, where they are awaiting trial.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
