Port of Sines
Five inspectors arrested by alleged collaboration with cartels from South America. Two were caught in video accepting a bribe of 700,000 euros to “pass” more than one ton of cocaine.
Five inspectors of the Tax Authority (AT) were arrested this Sunday by the Judicial Police (PJ) Operation “Porthos”on suspicion of involvement in corruption, international drug trafficking and money laundering.
Detainees are accused of collaborating with large South American cartels, facilitating the entry of cocaine in Portugal, through Ports from Lisbon, Setúbal and Sines.
The investigation, conducted by the Central Department of Research and Criminal Action (DCIAP), gained new impetus after the disclosure of TVI and CNN Portugal, Video where two of the detained inspectors are seen to accept a bribery of 700 thousand eurosin exchange for the release of 1.3 tons of concealed cocaine in frozen squid pallets, arrival from Ecuador to the port of Lisbon.
“It was the trafficker himself to film the meeting, with a hidden camera, to prove to the cartel that they could trust the valuable load of over 40 million euros,” says CNN.
🟥 Exclusive || Agents of the Tax Authority were corrupted and allowed to enter tons of cocaine in Portugal – the whole scheme and details told by the leader of the criminal network in the Jornal Nacional in TVI and CNN Portugal.
— CNN Portugal (@cnnportugal)
The first steps took place in February, when home searches and professional searches were performed to the same inspectors. In these searches, hundreds of thousands of euros were found in cash, suspected that they originated in trafficking networks, such as the well-known Brazilian, dangerous and violent gang that already.
Based on the new indications and changes in the circumstances since the initial phase of the investigation, the responsible prosecutor, Filomena Rosado, decided to advance with the arrest of the suspects. Legal assumptions for the application of coercion measures are now present, such as the danger of escape or the disturbance of the inquiry, as well as the strong social impact of the case.
Inspectors will be present this Monday to a criminal instruction judge in Lisbon, and may await trial in pre-trial detention. The case underlines the vulnerability of Portuguese port infrastructures compared to international drug trafficking and raises serious concerns about the integrity of state agents.
