GNR Raids Tejo-Setúbal Drug Corridor, Arrests Seven, Seizes Drugs and Firearms

In the space of a single December morning, Portugal’s rural rice fields and urban ring roads turned into the stage for an unusually large police manoeuvre that removed what investigators call the “most active supply hub” for cocaine and haxixe between the Tejo estuary and the Setúbal peninsula. Seven men are now behind bars, tens of thousands of euros changed hands under police seal, and residents of Benavente, Sintra and Setúbal woke up to the sound of battering rams instead of Christmas carols.

What Happened at a Glance

• 7 arrests after a two-year investigation led by GNR detectives from Santarém

• 4,352 doses of haxixe, 850 of cocaine and 83 of cannabis confiscated

• €22,493 in cash, 6 cars, 1 motorcycle and 3 firearms seized

• 5 suspects placed in pre-trial detention; 2 must report weekly to local posts

A Two-Year Hunt Ends on the Banks of the Tejo

The operation, codenamed “Cais Seguro”, started back in late-2023 when plain-clothes patrols in Benavente noticed a spike in late-night traffic on the EN118. By early-2024, surveillance pointed to a discreet warehouse that doubled as a cutting and packaging lab. Over a period of 24 months, investigators mapped the gang’s phone trees, followed bank transfers to shell accounts and tracked GPS beacons on vans crossing the Vendas Novas industrial belt. When the green light finally came at dawn on 17 December, 120 officers from the Intervention Unit, Fiscal Action Unit and neighbouring PSP precincts converged on five districts at once, leaving the network no escape corridor.

How the Group Moved Drugs Through Three Districts

Prosecutors say the ringleader sourced cocaine from Latin-American containers unloaded in small Spanish ports and haxixe from North-African speedboats that beach along the Alentejo coast. The merchandise travelled north inside modified fuel tanks, reaching a logistics hub tucked between rice paddies near Salvaterra de Magos. From there, couriers posing as app-based meal drivers fanned out toward Sintra’s commuter towns, the bars of Setúbal’s waterfront and the roadside cafés off the A13. Investigators recovered digital ledgers, vacuum-seal guns and dozens of SIM cards, painting a picture of a crew fluent in both old-school concealment and encrypted messaging.

The Arsenal, the Cash and the Numbers That Matter

Beyond the narcotics, officers collected an Uzi-style sub-machine gun, two .38 revolvers, more than 100 rounds of assorted ammunition and a home-made suppressor—evidence, says one senior source, “that the group was ready to defend territory by force”. The €22,493 seized in fourteen different envelopes may look modest, but detectives stress it represents retail turnover from a single long weekend, not wholesale revenue. Six seized vehicles include a low-profile family hatchback with hidden hydraulic cavities and a motorcycle equipped with a false oil reservoir, classic hallmarks of mid-tier traffickers looking to avoid flagship sports cars that attract patrol-car attention.

Judicial Fallout: What Happens Next

All seven detainees appeared before the Criminal Court of Santarém within 48 hours. Five were remanded to E - prison in Leiria under preventive custody; two received a lighter coercive measure—weekly check-ins at their local GNR post—owing to smaller criminal records. Under Portugal’s 2001 decriminalisation model, possession for personal use is separated from trafficking, but magistrates underlined the “organised structure, profit intent and territorial control” that upgrade the accusations to aggravated trafficking, carrying sentences of up to 12 years.

A Record-Setting 2025 for Narcotics Seizures

This bust caps a year in which GNR and PSP jointly dismantled networks in Aveiro, Porto, Minho and even mounted a mega-operation with Spain’s Guardia Civil that netted 7 tonnes of haxixe and 650 kg of cocaine in July. Security analysts note that 2025 has already surpassed the previous high-water mark of 2021 in both drug volume and asset forfeiture, suggesting traffickers are shifting routes back toward Portugal as Atlantic maritime patrols tighten further south.

Where the Strategy Goes From Here

Public-safety experts consulted by Diário de Notícias argue that arrests alone will not close the market: “Follow-the-money tactics, expanded international intelligence sharing and a public-health lens on consumption must complement the raids,” says criminologist Rita Loureiro. Government officials quietly acknowledge the point; the upcoming National Security Budget earmarks funds for forensic accounting units and new drone-equipped coastal stations. For residents of Benavente or Setúbal, however, the immediate takeaway is simpler: one more supply chain broke down, and for the first holiday season in years, fewer pushers may be ringing doorbells after dark.

Key Insights for Readers

The case highlights how rural warehouses are replacing city flats as favoured drug factories.

App-delivery disguises are becoming the courier method of choice in Lisbon’s outskirts.

Expect visible patrol surges along the EN118 and A13 corridors over the next quarter while investigators chase residual suspects.

A shift toward asset seizures—vehicles, boats, crypto wallets—signals that law enforcement is trying to drain the financial lifeblood of trafficking groups rather than play an endless game of street-corner whack-a-mole.