Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau took part in a police operation carried out at 61 airports in 36 countries, resulting in the arrest of 46 people and the seizure of 850 kilograms of drugs, Europol reported this Friday.
According to a Europol statement, the operation took place from December 11 to 18 and was aimed at controlling passenger and cargo traffic on direct and connecting flights, mainly from the American continent.
Law enforcement agencies deployed screening of passengers and luggage, as well as parcels and cargo at 29 major airports in Europe and 32 airports in Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean, Europol said.
The checks were aimed at detecting the possession or trafficking of drugs from Latin America and revealed a total of 850 kilograms, mainly cannabis and cocaine.
Another goal of the police operation, led by Spain and supported by the European border agency Frontex and Interpol, was to improve cooperation between police and customs authorities on both sides of the Atlantic.
“The operational phase, aimed at strengthening security at airports, was prepared during the preliminary reconnaissance phase,” the same report said.
The next step was to analyze relevant information related to drug trafficking flows, identify possible suspects and modus operandi, and develop coordinated actions to be carried out, The Hague-based Europol said.
In Europe, in addition to Portugal and Spain, 14 more EU countries took part (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden), as well as Switzerland. , UK, Georgia and North Macedonia.
In the Americas, in addition to Brazil, the operation included the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Jamaica, Panama and Peru.
In addition to Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau, five other African countries took part in the initiative: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Nigeria and Togo.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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