Cross-border operation seizes hashish, cocaine, and €780,000 in cash after 38-month investigation
Portuguese and Spanish authorities have taken down a major drug trafficking network in a cross-border operation that led to 49 arrests and the seizure of 18 speedboats valued at €8 million.
The operation, carried out by Portugal’s GNR police and Spain’s Guardia Civil, targeted the logistics networks behind the organised drug smuggling scheme. Over several days this week, raids were conducted across eight districts in mainland Portugal and southern Spain.
Authorities seized 40 high-powered engines, seven tonnes of hashish, 650 kilos of cocaine with an estimated value of around €2.5 million, €780,000 in cash, 11 firearms and 24 motor vehicles during the operation, GNR police say in a statement.
The joint effort, supported by the International Police Cooperation agreement, was the result of an investigation that spanned more than three years.
In Portugal, police arrested 32 people, carried out 32 house searches, and searched an additional 35 vehicles. Spanish authorities arrested 17 people in total, including one during this week’s operation and 16 during the earlier phases of the investigation.
All suspects are facing charges related to drug trafficking, criminal association, and illegal weapons possession.
GNR confirmed that several of its specialized units took part in the operation, including teams from Emergency, Protection and Rescue, Coastal and Border Control, and Fiscal Action, with additional support from the National Institute of Medical Emergency.
