The Judicial Police, through the Northern Board of Directors, under an investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office – DIAP of Vila do Conde, have carried out an operation to enforce arrest warrants and search domiciliary and non-domicile for the alleged crimes of criminal association , money laundering, qualified tax fraud and the sale, selling or concealment of counterfeit goods or articles.
In the course of about 40 searches carried out in the municipalities of Vila do Conde, Póvoa de Varzim, Oporto, Vila Nova de Gaia and Sintra, six individuals were arrested for these crimes and two others for crimes of falsification of documents, illegal emigration and drug trafficking.
According to the investigation, developed by the Judicial Police in conjunction with the Tax Authority, the amount laundered by this criminal association, in the period between January 2016 and March 2018, was in the region of 40 million euros.
18 car vehicles were seized, the vast majority of which were high-end, around € 350,000.00 in bank notes, computer equipment and mobile phones, a significant quantity of counterfeit goods or items without proper tax support documents in the presumed value of three million euros, dozens of internationally presumed false identification documents, passports and driving licenses, as well as a variety of accounting and tax documents.
The police operation involved 300 members, including the participation of investigators from the Judicial Police of the Board of Directors of the Centre and the units of Braga, Aveiro and Vila Real and the collaboration of the Port Authority of the Tax Authority, the Territorial Detachment of Matosinhos da Guarda National Republican, the Northern Regional Unit of the Food and Economic Security Authority and the Northern Regional Directorate of the Aliens and Borders Service.
The detainees, aged between 34 and 57, all businessmen of foreign nationality, will be presented to the competent judicial authorities for questioning and application of remand measures considered appropriate.