The network operated with its own application, created by professional IT professionals, the leaders of the scheme. 21 thousand doses of drugs were seized.
The PSP dismantled a drug trafficking network that used fake Uber Eats couriers to distribute drugs, which were camouflaged in gum, chocolates and vaporizers.
According to , the operation, carried out in Lisbon, led to the arrest of the three main organizers of the scheme and three couriers — five men and one woman aged between 30 and 36. The three leaders were “typical people”, integrated into society and “with families”, Commissioner João Prisciliano revealed to the Observer. And IT was his “work area”.
The investigation revealed that the group resorted to a application created by computer scientists to manage orders and distribute drugs throughout the city. The “couriers” mingled among thousands of real Uber Eats couriers to operate without arousing suspicion.
In the application, very similar to Uber Eats, customers could choose between “various types of drugs”, predict the “delivery location” and pay. To gain access, a potential customer had to be mediated by one of those involved in the scheme, after a first online contact.
During the searches of seven residences, the police seized more than 21 mil doses of hashish, cocaine and marijuana, in addition to more than 15 thousand euros in cash.
All detainees were made defendants. Four were remanded in pre-trial detention, while the remaining two will have to appear regularly before the authorities.
