PSP orders glass watch due to drugs in drinks on New Year’s Eve

“Control your drinking before they control you!” The alert has been issued by PSP Lisbon as a warning to ensure that anyone going out into the streets or bars and clubs this evening during the New Year holidays should keep their eyes on the glass, thereby preventing harm to strangers. – People deliberately add drugs to the liquid, leaving unwary people incapacitated and leading to crimes ranging from theft to rape.

“They may have several names – ‘love drug’, ‘good night Cinderella’ – but the result is always the same,” PSP warns. The police advice is simple but, if heeded, extremely effective: “always pay attention to your glass/drink and do not accept drinks from strangers”; “if possible, choose a bottle instead of a glass”; and “be careful to cover the glass so as not to spoil the drink.” The scam is carried out using drugs that have a depressant effect on the central nervous system, which is further enhanced when combined with alcohol, resulting in the loss of consciousness of the victim.

On the other hand, the National Maritime Authority (ANM) has appealed to the population to avoid visiting beaches and coastal areas due to rough seas on the west coast of mainland Portugal. The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) is forecasting waves of five meters high from the northwest and has placed the areas of Viana do Castelo, Braga, Porto, Leiria, Aveiro, Coimbra and Lisbon under a yellow warning level. AMN also advises against frequent swimming in the sea during the New Year.

The IPMA forecast indicates that there will be no rain on the Portuguese mainland on New Year’s Eve, with the exception of Minho. Temperatures will range from 13 to 18°C ​​along the coast and southern interior and 8 to 12°C in the north and central parts of the country.