The Marine Police, through the Lisbon Regional Command, has been carrying out a major crime prevention operation in the Samuco Beach area and surrounding maritime areas since early Monday morning. Authorities identified more than 500 shellfish harvesters and seized four vehicles and €2,710 in cash. For the first time, NCIS is identifying illegal immigrants, mostly from South America, who do not have any form of identification.
Most of those identified have expired temporary residence permits, according to Commander Paulo Rodriguez Vicente. The commander explains that all those whose licenses have expired for more than a year will be transferred to the competent authorities.
This operation involves about 100 agents, about 15 vehicles, as well as the skills of two special units of NCIS, the elite division of this police force – the Tactical Action Unit and the Central Criminal Investigation Division. Its main focus is ensuring public safety for citizens and local residents, as well as identifying the leaders of human trafficking and illegal shellfish harvesting networks in the Tagus, which are becoming increasingly violent, with illegal shellfish harvesters as the main protagonists.
This is the second major police operation this year, which was one of the priorities of its general commander, Vice Admiral Dores Aresta. This operation involves the cooperation of information services on the analysis of operational risks.