Police sources quoted by Lisbon television CMTV specified that the allegations regarding, among others, enslaving women, drug trafficking and possession of firearms, three detained people from the management of a mafia-like criminal group have already been charged.
The investigation shows that although the gang operated throughout the entire Iberian Peninsula, key decisions were made among a small group of people residing in the town of Boliqueime, in the Algarve region, in the south of Portugal.
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What crimes did the gang commit?
How many women were freed?
Where were the group's key decisions made?
How long had the gang been under surveillance?
According to investigators, who by Sunday afternoon had released at least eight women forced into prostitution, the gang concentrated its activities especially on Spanish territory.
The Portuguese police specified that the dismantling of the gang led by foreigners was possible thanks to the surveillance of its members carried out since 2024 in the Algarve, the Basque Country, Navarre, and Catalonia.
Police inspectors' findings show that the deceived citizens of South American countries were sent to the Iberian Peninsula, mainly lured by attractive job offers.
