A prosecutor in Tavira has ordered the immediate release of 13 men arrested in the Algarve with suspected drug-smuggling fuel due to a shortage of court staff.
The group was detained in the early hours of Monday after officers from the National Republican Guard intercepted two vans loaded with 200 jerrycans containing roughly 5,000 litres of fuel and an engine-fitted rubber dinghy.
Despite being held for several hours at police facilities, the 13 men, who hold Spanish, Moroccan, and Romanian nationalities, were freed without being questioned by a criminal instruction judge. The Public Ministry issued a written order for their release because no prosecutor was available at the tribunal to conduct the hearings.
Seizure of suspected narco-fuel in Tavira
The police operation was triggered in the eastern Algarve municipality of Tavira after two suspicious vans caught the attention of soldiers from the Vila Real de Santo António station of the Guarda Nacional Republicana, Portugal's national gendarmerie force.
Although no illegal drugs were recovered during the search, law enforcement officers expressed little doubt that the confiscated equipment was intended for maritime drug trafficking. Investigators believe the 5,000 litres of gasoline were destined to refuel high-speed narco-boats operating along the southern coast of Portugal.
The 13 suspects have now been instructed to return to court on September 18 for further proceedings.
Staffing shortages during judicial holidays
Explaining the decision in a formal dispatch, the prosecutor wrote that the release was forced by severe staffing constraints during the peak of Portugal's judicial summer recess.
The prosecutor stated that only two Public Ministry magistrates were assigned to cover all urgent judicial business across the vast territory of the Sotavento Algarvio, which encompasses the eastern region of the Algarve. Those urgent responsibilities include handling domestic violence cases, preliminary suspect interrogations, court-ordered wiretaps, remand decisions, and proceedings that cannot be delayed under any circumstances.
The prosecutor noted that while the ideal scenario would be to complete all urgent services without exception, doing so was unfortunately impossible under current conditions. The ruling added that on the day of the arrests, only a single clerk was on duty at the Public Ministry offices in Tavira.
Defense arguments and recent hashish busts
Pedro Pestana, the defense lawyer representing the 13 suspects, stated that the release of his clients was fully justified.
Pestana said that even though authorities assumed the seized equipment was linked to drug trafficking, the allegation remained a mere suspicion. He added that simple suspicion, unsupported by clear evidence or proof, is insufficient to justify even an initial order of detention.
The operation was conducted by the Coastal and Border Control Unit of the GNR, a specialized division tasked with monitoring maritime borders and coastal security in Portugal.
The same specialized unit made a major seizure over the preceding weekend, recovering five tonnes of hashish across the eastern Algarve municipalities of Vila Real de Santo António and Castro Marim. That earlier operation led to the arrest of seven Moroccan nationals, all of whom were presented to a judge and remanded in custody under pre-trial detention, the most severe preventive measure under Portuguese law.
