PORTUGUESE police believe that four murders committed in Porto in the past seven weeks could be linked to rival drug gangs or be the result of a vendetta.
The latest murders involved the shootings of Chic nightclub owner Aurélio Palha, 42, on August 27 and bouncer Nuno Gaiato, 26 outside popular Porto night spot River Caffé on July 13.
The deteriorating security situation in the city and resulting climate of fear is worrying both the government and Câmara Municipal of Porto to such an extent that Interior Minister Rui Pereira announced the stepping up of police vigilance in nightclub areas in both Porto and Matosinhos.
Nuno Gaiato was shot by three individuals in the head and neck in the early hours of July 13. The bouncer was wearing a bullet proof vest.
One week prior to the incident at the same spot there had been an exchange of fire by rival gangs.
The latest shooting occurred outside Chic, in the former industrial zone of the city, where there is a profusion of nightclubs and bars.
The owner, Aurélio Palha, was shot by two individuals in the early hours of August 27 firing nine bullets with a nine millimetre pistol and a shotgun.
In statements made to the Lusa news agency, Deputy National PJ Police Director, Vítor Guimarães explained the shootings as a consequence of a turf war and “difficult relations between rival “security gang forces”.
“This situation is worrying and is extremely serious and is causing a high level of disquiet and insecurity in the city,” he said.
In what has become the fourth murder since July 7, the crimes appear to be motivated by a dispute for the control businesses associated with nightclubs, and in particular recreational drugs.
The President of the Câmara Municipal de Gaia, Luís Felipe Menezes, has demanded from the government “what means and instruments are being deployed to step up security to fight the explosion of violent crime in the city.”
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