GNR de Mirandela makes another arrest during Operation Terra Branca in Leiria

The Mirandela territorial detachment of the National Republican Guard (GNR) seized more than 1,400 doses of hashish in the municipality of Leiria on Tuesday and detained a 50-year-old man, authorities said Sunday.

The drug trafficking case has been under investigation for about two years, and the operation to dismantle the alleged network has been underway since February.

The operation, dubbed “Terra Branca” by authorities, began in the municipalities of Mirandela and Vila Flor and has so far led to the arrest of 14 people aged between 27 and 56.

Six are in pre-trial detention, one is under house arrest, and the rest are subject to periodic inspections.

At the time of the initial arrests, authorities responsible for the operation said they believed they had dismantled the main cocaine and heroin distribution network in the Bragança region.

Authorities also said that day that the drug was purchased in major centres, in this case Porto, Leiria and Setubal.

The network used villages as points of criminal activity, particularly in the municipality of Vila Flor, and drugs were often buried on public roads or in agricultural land in an attempt to conceal criminal activity.

In the attack, the PNP searched houses and a dozen vehicles in the municipality of Leiria on Tuesday, where they seized 1,445 doses of hashish, 37 counterfeit items of clothing, pepper spray, a stun gun and 80 euros in cash.

The detainee was already present at the Vila Flor Court and was required to report weekly to the security post at his place of residence.

The PNP reported that during the investigation, a total of 1,605 doses of heroin and 1,133 doses of cocaine were seized, as well as various materials related to the illegal practice.