Three defendants, two men and a woman, were sentenced to prison terms among the 6 and 8 year old, the seizure of vehicles, jet ski, 4.255 euros, 40 pounds, different types and quantities of narcotics and also the widespread loss of benefits worth 678.412,93 euros resulting from illicit activity.
To a couple, him 42 years and her 40 year old, and a third accused, of 27 year old, effective prison sentences were applied. In the first two eight years, each, and the youngest 6 years in prison, all hair crime of drug trafficking. The men are in preventive detention at the Beja Prison and the woman at Odemira.
On arrest, in 5 December 2022, a Range Rover and a BMW Z4 were seized from the couple, assessed in 70 thousand euros, a jet ski, 4.065 euros, 3.400 of which were hidden in the bathroom of one of their rooms, in addition to different types and quantities of cocaine, hashish, MDMA, nitrous oxide cylinders and various materials for trafficking and processing drugs. The third accused were apprehended 190 euros, cocaine, cannabis and various pills, including MDMA, a BMW vehicle and various paraphernalia linked to trafficking.
The sentencing decision was taken by a Collective of Judges from the Beja Court on the last day 1 March, with the three defendants appealing to the Court of Appeal of Évora (THREE), but the judges referred the appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ) considered to be the competent court. Last day 7, the STJ Counselors, with the exception of returning the jet ski to the woman, maintained all decisions of the 1st Instance, including payment within 10 days from the final judgment of the decision, of the value determined as resulting from criminal activity, and the couple will have to pay 649.174,71 euros and the other accused 29.238,22 euros. If they don't, the seized assets will be used to make this liquidation.
In resources, the older individual maintains that he should be convicted of a lesser trafficking crime, with a sentence of less than five years and consequently be suspended upon its execution. The woman is fighting for her acquittal, maintaining that the conviction was based on telephone intersections. Finally, the youngest of the defendants argues that his sentence is disproportionate, compared to that of the couple, wanting the sentence to be reduced and suspended and the vehicle returned.
The Counselor Judges, did not give credibility to the reasons given by the defendants, justifying that they were limited to “discussing conceptual issues of principle and logical-normative abstractionsâ€, justifying that the penalties applied, are found within “an abstract frame, fair and judicious, giving expression to the demands of general preventionâ€, Remata.
Along with the three appellants, two more men and a woman aged between 24 and 45 year old, with feathers between 2 years and 3 months and 4 years and 6 months, suspended in its execution. Two other defendants were acquitted.
The group extended its criminal activity between a private condominium in Quinta do Conde (Sesimbra) and various locations in the municipalities of Aljustrel and Castro Verde.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
