Four Portuguese nationals have been arrested – including two Lisbon airport workers – in an operation against drug trafficking. The drugs were recovered from the hold of planes arriving at the airport by two handling workers.
The Portuguese Judicial Police has reported Operation Deep Cleaning II, which has allowed them to seize enough cocaine to make 1,100,000 doses of the drug on a flight coming from Latin America, reports the Portuguese newspaper ‘Público’.
The arrests took place in flagrante delicto «within the scope of an investigation into a criminal group dedicated to introducing large quantities of narcotic products into national territory through regular airline flights».
Two of those arrested were employees of a handling services company operating at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport, who diverted the drugs from the aircraft holds to «avoid baggage control».
There are in total four detainees aged 29, 30, 33 and 51, who have already been questioned by the judicial authorities and for whom remand in custody has been ordered. The investigation is still open.
The Judicial Police emphasizes the «relevant support» of the Public Security Police, particularly in the control of the movement of people in the airport area.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
