The GNR arrested on Saturday, during a road inspection in the municipality of Loulé, a 32-year-old man who was transporting 4,300 liters of fuel illegally. The suspect was driving a light commercial vehicle with 172 jerry cans, each with a capacity of 25 liters, and when intercepted, he abandoned the vehicle and tried to flee on foot, but was caught moments later by the military personnel. He was arrested on suspicion of the crime of circulation smuggling.
During the investigations, the authorities verified that the vehicle was flagged for seizure under the Schengen Information System. The vehicle and the 172 jerry cans with fuel were seized. The GNR did not indicate what would be the destination of the fuel transported by the suspect.
In recent months, authorities have been intercepting on the southern coast of Portugal dozens of maritime and road transports of fuel allegedly destined to supply high-speed vessels used in drug trafficking between the high seas and the Portuguese coast.
In recent weeks, several tons of drugs have also been seized on the Algarve coast and on the banks of the Guadiana River, areas increasingly sought by drug trafficking organizations to introduce drugs into Europe. Portuguese police and military forces have intensified surveillance along the Algarve coast and the Costa Vicentina, with special attention to the illegal transport of fuel that may be used by vessels involved in landing drugs.
