Beja: Seven defendants tried for possession and Currency passing and possession of weapons.
Evaded Valley of Jews among the seven defendants being tried for possession and Currency passing and possession of illegal weapons. The arrests were made in St. Louis (Odemira), Águas de Moura (Setúbal) and Alenquer.
José Silva, nicknamed the "Tochinha", evaded the Jews Valley Prison in 23 December 2010, following a Probation, where since 1999 serving time for three convictions which in total accounted 20 years and 6 months in prison, It is one of the defendants in a process that refers to February 2011.
"Tochinha", It is one of three men, that with four women, two of which are absent due to illness, They began yesterday to be tried before the Court of Beja, by possession offenses and passing counterfeit currency and possession of illegal weapons.
Defendants, aged 43 and 66 year old, They were arrested, between 16 and 18 February 2011, in St. Louis (Odemira), Águas de Moura (Setúbal) and Alenquer, in flagrante delicto in possession of large amounts of counterfeit notes.
Yesterday in court, one of the defendants R. Constantino, He assumed that "for being beautiful had bought in Mouraria (Lisbon)" 199 false note, why "I paid 50 euros”, grounds that it was to "expose the wall of the house", held.
The operation was triggered by the Military Territorial Detachment (DT) GNR Odemira and support of DT's Setúbal and Alenquer, and during house searches to the homes of the suspects, They were seized 14.910 em false euro notes 50 and 20 euros, all with "the same serial number" and also about 840 euros and 20 dollars in legitimate currency.
It all started when the car "Tochinha", traveling with a companion, got stuck close to St. Louis and after an intervention by the GNR, the couple's behavior raised suspicions and following a magazine found in the woman's possession 17 notes 50 euros contrafeitas, after being detected counterfeits passages in commercial establishments in municipalities of Santiago do Cacém and Odemira.
At the gas Vila Nova de Milfontes, GNR detected that "Tochinha" was wanted for chain evasion, eventually reach another resident defendant in St. Louis. At home this, Anthony B and his mate, were found 61 notes 50 euros and 53 of 20 euros, all false.
This second suspect, GNR reached the "potential supplier" notes with whom he had a meeting in Águas de Moura (Setúbal), where the seized 199 notes 50 euros "bought" in Mouraria, hidden in any one of the defendants.
In court the defendants "built" his version of events, which led one of the Collective judges to justify that "the link" between all of them is "the same number of counterfeit notes", which they were seized and circulated at various sites.
Among the prosecution witnesses, are six military GNR-five inspectors from the Judicial Police Setúbal.
Other seizures
Four firearms, guns 6.35 mm, 9 mm, calibre .22 e alarme, 93 ammunition of various calibers, three knives, three vehicles, two light passenger and goods, a quad bike, booklets and vehicle registration certificates of other vehicles, 30 nuggets of gold, mobile phones, ATM cards, bankbooks and supplies.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
