Portimão Court sets trial date for September for international drug ring

Initially scheduled for June 11, the first trial hearing was postponed to September 4, due to the resignation of defense attorneys for two defendants, and was rescheduled for September 5, at 9:00 am.

Judge Maria Pires, who presides over the panel that will judge the case, explained at the time that the postponement was due to the refusal of defendants Gabriel Carvalho and Ayari Chokri to be represented by a public lawyer.

Defense attorneys informed the court at the time that they were renouncing their power of attorney to represent the two men, one of Brazilian nationality and the other who claims to have Italian and Egyptian nationality.

The two men, who are being held in pre-trial detention in a Lisbon prison, stated that they would not accept the court-appointed lawyers and that they intended to appoint a new legal representative.

The defendants are suspected of belonging to an international drug trafficking network and were arrested in March 2023, in Albufeira, during a police operation when they were transporting 1,200 kilograms of cocaine in a truck.

The six men, aged between 24 and 62, all in pre-trial detention, have Brazilian, Croatian, Italian and Portuguese nationality and are accused of aggravated drug trafficking and criminal association.

They are suspected of "introducing large quantities of cocaine into the European market" and of belonging to "a very powerful network" that allegedly had a logistical base in the Algarve and Portugal as a "gateway" for subsequent distribution in Europe.

In the operation carried out by the Judicial Police ( PJ ), in addition to the drugs, a heavy vehicle used to transport cocaine, "communication equipment, large amounts of cash, documents and other objects" were seized.

The investigation was led by the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP), in Lisbon.

According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, "there is evidence that the detainees are part of an international criminal organization dedicated to transporting large quantities of cocaine by sea from South America, where it is produced, to Europe, entering via Portugal."

The first hearing of the trial, with a total of seven prosecution and defense witnesses called, has now been scheduled for September 5th, at 9:00 am.

Photo: NomeVisualizzato / Pixabay.