Son of fugitive from Vale de Judeus caught with two Kalashnikovs

Fernando Pinto Ferreira, son of Fernando Ferreira who allegedly helped his father get out of prison, was arrested this Tuesday after being caught with two Kalashnikov machine guns. Civilians are prohibited from possessing these weapons.

The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a man suspected of having provided support for the escape of five prisoners of Vale de Judeus prison, in September 2024, as part of the “Sapatada” operation, conducted by the National Counterterrorism Unit (UNCT). The prisoner is Fernando Pinto Ferreira, son of Fernando Ferreira, one of the fugitives recaptured this year.

According to the investigation, Fernando Pinto Ferreira would have played a relevant role in preparing the escape, linking up from the Algarve with elements linked to another of the prisoners involved, Fábio Loureiro. During one of the seven home searches carried out by the PJ, the suspect was found in possession of two Kalashnikov-type machine-gunsweapons of war whose possession is prohibited to civilians.

The operation aims establish the external support network which would have allowed five inmates to escape from the Vale de Judeus prison on the morning of September 7, 2024. The case has another 25 defendants, according to the .

Images from the prison’s video surveillance system captured, on the day of the escape, the presence of armed individuals near the prison’s external perimeter, an indication that led investigators to conclude early on that the escape had been carefully planned and executedwith specialized support.

According to the PJ, the five prisoners — Fernando Ferreira, Fábio Loureiro, Mark Roscaleer, Rodolfo Lohrman and Shergili Farjiani — would have had the collaboration of other prisoners to monitor prison guard shifts and identify flaws in the surveillance system.

After the recaptures two five fugitivescompleted at the beginning of this year, investigators gathered evidence that points to the participation of a large group of people in organizing the evasion. The PJ intended to proceed with arrests, but the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP) chose to only request search warrants, a measure authorized by a criminal investigation judge.

It was precisely during these investigations that Fernando Pinto Ferreira was caught with weapons of war, a circumstance that led to his arrest.

The suspect was present to judge at the Justice Campusin Lisbon, for the first judicial interrogation and application of the respective coercive measures.