The Judicial Police of Portugal has issued at least 100 search and arrest warrants against a dozen soldiers and other agents of the country’s public forces for their alleged involvement in a mega-case of drug trafficking, gold and diamonds, taking advantage of their participation in United Nations missions.
The Portuguese authorities have carried out records in various cities of the country, including Lisbon, Porto, Bragança and Vila Real, Being the Comando military barracks, located in the Carregueira parish, in the center of the country, one of the main objectives of the investigation, according to the newspaper ‘Público’.
The suspects are active and retired military personnel, agents of the Republican National Guard (GNR) and the Public Security Police (PSP), suspected not only of drug and gemstone trafficking, but also money laundering, according to research dating back to 2020.
According to the investigation, taking advantage of Portugal’s participation in United Nations military missions, particularly in the Central African Republic (CAR), the suspects they transported drugs, gold and diamonds from that country to Europe via airplanes military.
In the case of diamonds, once on Portuguese soil they were transported by land to Antwerp and Brussels, where they are sold at millionaire prices. The money obtained later was invested in bitcoins, a virtual currency without the control of the financial authorities, or they resorted to figureheads who in return received 50 percent of the value deposited in their accounts.
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