In addition to hive theft, no value 40.000 euros, the three detained, men aged between 43 and 70 year old, are also suspected of possession of prohibited weapons and hunting by unauthorized means.
The Public Prosecutor's Office of Beja decided that the case should be reduced to investigation and that the three individuals, who were made defendants, remain free to await the development of the investigation, by term of identity and residence.
On Friday the Lidador News (LN) revealed that the Beja Territorial Command (CTBeja) da National Republican Guard (GNR) had carried out “Operation Bee” during the day on Thursday, which targeted several farms, aiming to dismantle a network dedicated to the theft of beehives.
The investigation into the case began at the beginning of this year, after some reports of hive thefts, particularly in the Odemira area. The group's modus operandi was stealing hives, placing them on farms to pollinate the crops existing there, in exchange for removing the honey produced by bees.
In a statement, CTBeja explained that they were seized: 254 hives, not worth approximately 40.000 euros, four firearms, an air pressure rifle, 280 munitions, a silencer, two telescopic sights and a hunting trap.
As LN revealed, Military personnel from the Criminal Investigation Units were involved in the operation (NIC), Territorial Posts and the Nature and Environmental Protection Service (SEPNA) and after counting and identification, GNR delivered the hives to the legitimate owners.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
