A vast drug laboratory was dismantled by the Judicial Police (PJ) in downtown Lisbon, under the so -called Black Market Operation. The images of the space where some of the 13 detainees were released on Wednesday and show the interior of what was, according to PJ, the “great laboratory” used as the main means of preparation and distribution of illicit substances, some of which to be prison.
According to PJ National Director Luís Neves, it is a group with well-organized practices, which even included prison guards-two of which are detained-responsible for facilitating the entry of products within prison establishments, in exchange for assets.
“We are pleased with our work. This is teamwork,” said Luís Neves, stressing the determining role of the images captured during the operation: “Sometimes an image is worth a thousand words.”
The investigation is still taking place, and the final numbers about the amount of drugs seized were not, for now, disclosed. At issue are crimes such as active and passive corruption, drug trafficking, prohibited substance trafficking, document falsification and capital bleaching.
The operation is considered an important blow against criminal networks that operate inside and outside the prisons, once again revealing the connection between trafficking and elements with privileged access to the penitentiary system.
