Two loaded Kalashnikov assault rifles, around 10,000 litres of fuel, nine vehicles and a speedboat were seized during a night of intense police operations targeting suspected maritime drug-trafficking networks across Portugal.
GNR military police carried out four separate interventions stretching from Esposende in the north to Sagres in the Algarve, resulting in one arrest, another man being made a formal suspect and a 15-year-old being ‘intercepted’.
One of the most striking discoveries came shortly before midnight on Wednesday, October 21 in Fonte Boa, Esposende, where officers found several suspicious vehicles apparently being prepared to launch a boat believed to be intended to support drug-trafficking operations.
Police arrested a 41-year-old man and seized six vehicles, a boat with two engines, around 1,500 litres of fuel, and two loaded Kalashnikov assault rifles with magazines.
At least three other suspects fled on foot, prompting the GNR to deploy drones to search the surrounding area.
The investigation is continuing alongside the PJ criminal police.
Vans packed with fuel
At roughly the same time, another suspicious vehicle was stopped at the Aveiras service station on the A1 motorway.
Inside were around 100 jerrycans of fuel.
A 35-year-old Spanish man was made an arguido – a formal suspect under Portuguese law – while further searches led police to a second vehicle abandoned near Vala do Carregado.
Between the two vehicles, officers seized 190 jerrycans containing approximately 4,750 litres of fuel, which the GNR believes was destined to supply high-powered boats used in maritime trafficking.
Hashish dumped into Guadiana
Further south, police were alerted to a high-speed boat entering the Guadiana River near the Portuguese-Spanish border.
GNR maritime patrols, officers from Faro and Beja and drone teams were mobilised, while Spain’s Guardia Civil also joined the operation.
According to the GNR, the occupants began throwing their cargo overboard as they fled.
Spanish authorities ultimately seized 57 bales of hashish, while Portuguese officers helped recover 20 bales from the water.
3,750 litres seized in Sagres
Hours later, at around 5am on Thursday, October 22, police were called to Baleeira fishing harbour in Sagres following a report that fuel was being transferred from a van to another high-speed boat.
Officers intercepted one person at the scene and seized a goods vehicle containing around 3,750 litres of fuel packed into 150 jerrycans.
The boat itself escaped by sea, but police say the refuelling operation was stopped.
Taken together, the four operations resulted in the seizure of around 10,000 litres of fuel stored in 420 jerrycans, nine vehicles, a boat, two marine engines, mobile phones and other equipment believed to have been used to support maritime trafficking.
The GNR says large quantities of fuel of this kind are frequently linked to the logistical networks needed to keep high-powered trafficking boats operating at sea.
Investigations into the various incidents remain ongoing.