The couple were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of drug use by customers at restaurants in the Sintra region in order to steal money and valuables. A 35-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman are suspected of six aggravated robberies, 14 computer fraud and 14 illegal access crimes.
Police began investigating the case after several reports of robberies surfaced, which also included reports of the consumption of alcoholic beverages containing benzodiazepines (a substance with a sedative and relaxing effect) in some restaurants. The establishments, located in Mem Martins and San Marcos, are owned by the now arrested couple.
According to the PSP statement, the couple used the services of clients who demonstrated good financial standing to add substances that cause drowsiness to drinks. Some even lost consciousness.
The report says that after drug injection, clients were “found on a public road or in their own vehicles in a state of obvious physical weakness or unconscious, and transported to hospitals at their place of residence.” In these hospital departments, it was possible to prove that there were high concentrations of benzodiazepines in the body of the victims.
It should be noted that one of the victims was found unconscious in the middle of the road, in the area of Rio de Mouro. The couple stole around €21,000 in tobacco and cash from this customer. In total, the clients listed in the files “suffered approximately 33,859 euros in damages,” the authorities specify.
The suspects were identified by the PSP and brought before the Judicial Court of the Western District of Lisbon, who were subjected to a compulsory measure of pre-trial detention.