The arrest of seven people and the seizure of cocaine, heroin and cannabis in industrial quantities, plus firearms was the result of a well planned operation by the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP) on Thursday.
A delighted PSP spokesman reported that all detainees, "mother, sons, daughter and neighbours," were suspected of drug trafficking and that, except for the mother, none of them appear to have a legitimate occupation.
The operation started at 14.00 on Thursday as the police searched seven houses in Vila Real de Santo António and Monte Gordo.
The operation resulted in the arrest of two women, 21 and 43 years old, and five men aged between 18 and 31, all of whom will be in court bright and early this Saturday morning.
The police found firearms, 300 lines of cocaine in small and medium sized bags, 180 portions of heroin, enough hashish for 4,305 joints, cannabis sufficient for 327 joints and €4,200 in cash.
Also taken from the houses were knives, a machete, a extendable baton, a defensive spray, various types of ammunition, three baseball bats, 22 mobile phones, utensils for cutting drugs, two cars, a boat, three motorcycles, two LCD TVs, two laptop computers, one tablet computer, an iPhone, brass knuckles, a blank PSP badge from Faro District Command, two cameras and two video cameras.
The operation was a result of 12 months of investigation, and those taking part were drawn from the Special Intervention Unit of the PSP, the PSP from Faro and Tavira and the GNR from Monte Gordo.
During the operation, armed PSP officers secured the perimeter of the houses and prevented anyone entering or leaving the premises as colleagues went into the houses in search of the suspects and their equipment.
One resident said that the house searched near to his own was frequented by drug users. They came from outside the area, entering and leaving at all times of day and night and were not worried about being seen by neighbors who were threatened if they said anything.
