The Judicial Police have  identified and arrested a man, who together with another man made several shots, with a pistol and shotgun at a vehicle on the IC2, between Pombal and Condeixa- a-Nova, targetting the three occupants.

The incident took place on the morning of 2nd March, 2014 and appears to have been have been motivated by jealousy. The alleged perpetrators are also suspected of having committed two vehicle thefts using a firearm, one in Aveiro and another in Coimbra, in March last year. 

During subsequent investigations involving the conducting of nine property searches, car parts and accessories were found and seized belonging to a Mercedes Benz, which were believed to have been stolen at gunpoint in the city of Coimbra. 

Two stolen cars were seized in France as well as a high-powered motorcycle stolen from inside a garage in the town of Coimbra. The suspect now detained, 20 years old, already with a criminal record, was presented for first judicial interrogation.

The second suspect aged 21years had already been questioned and detained under another investigation and is reporting daily to the nearest police station in his area of residence.

On 26th June 2015 the Criminal Investigation Center of GNR Loul? seized 12,160 doses of hashish and arrested a person aged 28 years.

The operation followed information of drug trafficking in the area of Pereiras, Quarteira. Follow up enquiries established that the accused was using a car in the city center of Quarteira.

Upon being approached by the GNR the suspect and upon questioning, it was found that the individual had kept the drugs in an existing residence in the vicinity, owned by a friend.

During the operation the drugs in 25 packages were located and seized.

According to the Director General of Health, a total of 1942 died from the heatwave during the period 17th to 23rd June. This compares with 1805 for the same period in 2014, and is the highest figure for seven years.

This coincides with temperatues reaching 35C in Lisbon and over 40C in Beja. The heat wave that affects the country since last Thursday will extend, particularly in areas of Tras-os-Montes and Alentejo, at least for another ten days. The temperatures exceeding 40C results from a passing mass of hot air coming from Spain. 
 

On 24th June The Aliens and Border Service - SEF stopped, at Faro airport, two foreign citizens for use of counterfeit Hungarian identity cards. In addition their driving licences were found to be counterfeit.

The individuals, aged 22 and 25, were identified by the SEF at the immigration control point prior to departure for the UK.

On further analysis of their legal status, it was found that all were illegal and they were also arrested for illegal stay in the national territory.

They appeared in the Court of Faro, on Monday and were detained by Court order at the Faro Airport Installation Center,  where they await  further procedural measures relating to the crime of using false documents and subsequent removal.

The pilot tests of the European Project 'Smart Borders' ended on 4th June at Lisbon's Airport. Portugal is the first Country in Europe to test this innovative program for entry and departures of Schengen Area.

The Immigration and Borders Service, which manages the Smart Borders Project at national level in cooperation with the eu-LISA agency, received at Lisbon's Airport a visit of representatives from thirteen Member States, including Latvia (as EU presidency), European Commission, eu-LISA Agency and General Secretariat of the Council, with the purpose of collecting information regarding the results of the Smart Borders Project.

The tests conducted at the Lisbon's air border although ended, will start in other Member States' borders, hence this is a moment to share of knowledge, challenges and final results, given that Portugal was the starting point - on March 15 - of the entire European project.

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The Criminal Court of Lisbon declared provisional detention for the three suspects detained by the Immigration and Borders Service on June 2nd in the police operation ?Livro M?gico? ["Magic Book"]. 

This operation dismantled a criminal network which ensured - through fraudulent means and in exchange for large amounts of money - the acquisition of Portuguese citizenship to foreign citizens allegedly born in the former Portuguese territories in India.

For the process of fraud used in the acquisition of Portuguese citizenship please download here.

Organized by the CIG - Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality / Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the OTSH - Observatory on Trafficking in Human Beings / General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the support of the Judicial Police, the seminar was held on 25th and 26th June.

This seminar achieved two initiatives at once: on the one hand, the holding of an international conference on trafficking in persons and the new challenges that arise within the EU provided for in the Third National Plan for Prevention and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. 

Secondly, the organization of a final conference in the European project "Towards a Pan-European Monitoring System on Trafficking in Human Beings', coordinated by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Affairs MAI / OTSH. 

It was reported on 21st June that three English tourists aged 21, 25 and 27 years of age were arrested by the GNR in Albufeira after damaging a taxi, spitting at, and assaulting a taxi driver.

The taxi driver was conveying them in his taxi, but asked them to get out because of their alleged unruly behaviour. In response they youths assaulted him, following which they broke the taxi windows, rear view mirror and damaged the bodywork.

They were taken back to the GNR station but were subsequently released by the Prosecutor and ordered to appear in court. Instead of doing so however, they left Portugal before they were scheduled appear.

They reportedly checked out of the hotel at 1730 hrs on 21st June for a flight booked at 0930 hrs the following day.

On 29th June the Judicial Police, through the Department of Criminal Investigation of Portim?o, identified and arrested a man and a woman, for abduction and serious assault.

The crime occurred on 26th May, when the suspects approached the victim, reportedly a British teenager aged 19, in the area of Albufeira, forcing her into enter their car. They then took her to an isolated location near Alcantarilha train station where they shaved her hair, struck her with a sharp object and tore her clothes, subsequently being abandoned half naked in the Silves area. It is being described in the media as a revenge attack following an alleged love affair.

The detainees, 19 and 38 years old respectively, were presented at the first judicial interrogation, for application of conditions prior to attending trial. It is understood the woman has since left Portugal.

On 27th June it was reported that Fernando Bandera aged 48 years serving with the PSP was brutally attacked whilst carrying out his work at a music festival at Vale da Amoreira, Moita, just south of Lisbon.

The agent was involved in a crowd management operation at the time but reportedly became separated from his colleagues. A number of men then attacked the agent throwing stones at him and stabbing him three times. A number of people helped save the agent by preventing further attack.

Two persons have been arrested in connection with the attack. The firearm was recovered from a rubbish bin following an anonymous tip off. It is likely that others will be arrested shortly.

Colleagues report that the agent may have been recognized by gang members as he had undertaken anti drug trafficking operations in the area.

On 29th June more than 300 fire fighters and six aircraft were fighting various fires in Alentejo.

A total of 125 firefighters, 37 vehicles and three aircraft were on Monday afternoon fighting a fire in a bush area in Ourique municipality, in the district of Beja, some 80 kms north of the Algarve. 

The fire broke out at 1613 hrs, in the parish of Santana da Serra, and at 1730hrs was active on two fronts. There was no population at risk, said a spokesman of the District Command Relief Operations (CDOS) Beja.

At the same time, a fire was being fought by 121 firefighters and 37 vehicles of various fire brigades of the districts of Beja and Faro with three aircraft, two heavy and one light, the source said.

Also in the Alentejo, but in the district of Portalegre, 120 firefighters, 30 vehicles and three air assets were mobilized, at 1750 hrs, to fight a forest fire that broke out at 16h21 at the site of Bica, Marv?o municipality, according to a source of CDOS.

Around 17:30, 54 firefighters, 16 vehicles and three flights (two planes and a helicopter), were fighting another fire that broke out at 1407 hrs in the parish of Alvarenga, in Arouca municipality in the district of Aveiro. 

A woman who is a resident in the Algarve is to be prosecuted by the GNR after she made allegations on Facebook that the GNR officers and the GNR were corrupt.

The woman who was in Fuseta, was fined ?30 for parking on a yellow line in Olhao. She left and then returned a short while later to find a GNR vehicle parking on the line. She alleged that they were having breakfast but this was denied by the GNR stating they were making enquiries.

She the took a photo of the car and posted this on her Facebook page with the allegations of corruption.

A number of English media covered the story but with misleading headlines that she was being prosecuted "for complaining on Facebook". Through contact made by Safe Communities Portugal with the GNR it was confirmed that the prosecution is only in respect of the "false corruption allegation" which amounts to slander. If this had not been stated then no action would have been taken. The GNR spokesman added that there are complaints made on the GNR Facebook page and these are not taken down - but on this occasion this was allegations of a serious crime.

Comment

This appears to be a typical example of someone acting in the heat moment and the instinctive action is to post on Facebook.Often people do not appreciate they words they are using on Facebook which can amount to trolling, slander and things that the user would likely regret later.

The use of the word "corruption" is often used without any evidence or foundation. Another way to look at this is if serious false accusations were made against you or your business how would you feel?  

Please be aware of this scam that was circulated on 28th June 2015 in the Algarve and possibly beyond. The persons whose name the email is from, had her computer hacked into and the email address book compromised on 27th June.

The following email has been sent by the hacker pretending to be Gracy Biss to a unknown number of people. As a result one person in the central Algarve gave her bank instructions to transfer ?1000 to the hackers address through Western Union, believing it to be Gracy Biss, who it is not. 

Safe Communities Portugal was informed of this by the victim and advised her not to send the money as it is a scam. Luckily she was just in time to inform the bank  and cancel the instruction.

If anyone receives this please Do Not reply. I have been asked by Liliana Moreira the daughter in law of Gracy Biss to inform people and clients of her company to email Liliana Moreira at [email protected]  so the company can update its records.

I am very grateful to Gracy and Liliana and the potential victim for giving us permission to share this quickly.

Read more about the scam here

Note: if you are subject of a cyber attack compromising your address book, and as a result demands for money are made by a hacker please inform us immediately. If you are a victim of fraud and have lost money as a result the matter should be reported quickly to the Judicial Police.

If you receive an email from a friend that looks odd especially demanding money then telephone, rather than reply by email.