Police suspect incident linked to drug trafficking
A violent accident early this morning on the EN125 near Almancil saw the driver of a Spanish-plated Range Rover SVR V8 completely carbonised, within the vehicle, which appears to have been carrying a large stash of hashish.
According to reports, three men wearing hoodies were seen removing some of the contents from the burning wreckage to another vehicle, before ‘fleeing’ at speed.
Eye witnesses have given accounts of everything they saw to GNR police, who have handed the main case to PJ judicial police.
GNR agents were able to recover at least 10 kilos of hashish (albeit charred) from the vehicle, which has otherwise been utterly destroyed.
According to reports, the unidentified driver was “caught in the blazing wreckage”. Whether he died as a result of the initial crash, or the fire (or something else), may never be fully established.
The accident took place in the early hours: the Spanish-plated Range Rover hit a pillar at the viaduct off the EN125 giving access to Quarteira.
It is still unclear whether the driver had any connection to the three men who removed items from the crashed car, or indeed, what circumstances may have led to the accident. Some accounts in the media have suggested the Range Rover may have been being pursued by the car carrying the three men before it so catastrophically hit the viaduct pillar.
natasha.donn@portugalresident.com
