A network of criminals, made up of five men between the ages of 18 and 34, responsible for a series of thefts and robberies in the districts of Faro, Setúbal, Lisbon, Santarém and Bragança, were dismantled this Tuesday, February 18th. The arrests occured, said a GNR spokesperson, "following an investigation that has been going on for about six months".
“It was possible to ascertain the existence of a network dedicated to the repeated practice of theft crimes in commercial establishments: fuel filling stations, catering establishments, establishments selling cars, and resale stores, as well as thefts in private residences” they explain.
According to the GNR, the stolen material found by police is "estimated at approximately 450 thousand euros" and the damage caused "at approximately ten thousand euros". Furthermore, several pieces of clothing used during the crimes were seized, master keys, several keys to homes and garage controls, three mobile phones, three motorcycles, a shotgun, a pistol and around 4 thousand euros.
With this operation, the GNR says that they have "dismantled a network responsible for the practice of numerous crimes, which should greatly contribute to the increase in the feeling of security of the population".
The detainees remained at a GNR facility upon their arrest, and today, on the 19th of February, they were present at the Judicial Court of Setúbal, to be charged. The operation included the individuals of the Criminal Investigation Centre of Almada, the Territorial Detachments of Almada and Grândola, the Detachment of Intervention in Setúbal and the Intervention Unit of the GNR, totaling 70 staff. They also had the support of the Public Security Police.
