The trial of “Shusha” (Ruben Oliveira), considered the largest Portuguese drug trafficker, and the other 18 accused of cocaine trafficking, criminal association and money laundering continues this Wednesday at the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon.
There are seven defendants in pre-trial detention and two others at large, including Ruben Oliveira’s wife, in the hearing room. One of the prosecution’s 55 witnesses will testify this Wednesday.
According to the department’s indictment, the criminal group, led by Ruben Oliveira, had “close ties” to drug trafficking organizations in Brazil and Colombia and imported large quantities of cocaine from South America since mid-2019.
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Updated April 17, 2024 | 12:21
PJ reports that one of the guarded cars headed to Ruben Oliveira’s house in Lisbon.
In the morning they begin to interrogate a new witness. The Judicial Police Inspector was also involved in the surveillance previously described by other witnesses – on the A1 highway to Vila Nova de Gaia.
“Firmino and Ricardo Macedo are in a white Mercedes. They stood at a distance from the car in front. They change places. The Land Rover is leaving for Santa Maria da Feiro,” explains the inspector.
“Only two days later, on February 19, we saw movement in the white Vito that we had been watching. They went to Ruben Oliveira’s house in Lisbon,” says a witness about one of the tests he carried out.
Police inspector describes surveillance that led to the seizure of 220 kilograms of cocaine
The second witness begins testifying this Wednesday. The Judicial Police Inspector was involved in the surveillance and follow-up in the Porto area.
“In February 2021, I was called to the residence of Ruben Oliveira in Lisbon. Later I joined another surveillance device. I accompanied two vehicles (Mercedes Vito and Land Rover) that followed a similar route to Vila Nova in Gaia,” says the inspector.
Then, judicial police officers seized 220 kg of cocaine in the port of Leixões, which had previously been loaded at the port of Santos in Brazil.
Ruben Oliveira’s defense questions an inspector about the arrest made at Lisbon airport
Ruben Oliveira’s defense questioned the inspector about the seizure made at Lisbon airport in 2021. “Look where the boxes are going,” the lawyer asks.
“The final destination would have been Guinea-Bissau, but these boxes would never have been delivered to Guinea-Bissau. Because most of them are suitcases and parcels brought in after hours. And then these are packed suitcases. They entered Brazil illegally. Us were informed by the Federal Police that something strange had entered the plane (for the most part they were not heading to their destination), the inspector explains.
“Julinhas was one of the first people I noticed. This nickname was very well known in the police community. It took me over a year to find out who Julinhas was and his real name,” explains the witness. Remember that José Afonso is one of the founders of the cocaine trafficking network.
A police inspector explains how a drug trafficking network was dismantled
A judicial police inspector explains this Wednesday how the largest drug trafficking network in Portugal was dismantled.
A witness describes one of the surveillance events he conducted in 2021.
Author: Madalena Sales
Source: CM Jornal
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