The Minister of Justice has announced that the Government will present “a proposal that, similar to what happened in Spain, regulates the ownership, possession and retention of high-speed vessels.”
The Government will resume the legislative proposal that seeks to criminalise the possession of speedboats in the context of drug trafficking, similar to what exists in Spanish legislation, the Minister of Justice announced on Tuesday.
In her closing speech at the accession ceremony of Belgium and Germany to the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC – N), which took place on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Judicial Police (PJ), in Lisbon, with the presence of the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, the Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, announced the Government’s intention to move forward with the legislative process.
“If I may make a brief digression to mention that the Government has decided to resume the legislative process with the aim of presenting to the Assembly of the Republic a proposal that, similar to what happened in Spain, regulates the ownership, possession and detention of high-ranking officials. -High-speed vessels classify as a crime the most serious conduct that does not comply with the legally imposed conditions,” said the minister.
The Minister recalled the importance of the maritime route for drug trafficking and entry into Portugal, being a frequent route used by criminal networks, either by transport on cargo ships or by transshipment on the high seas, using different types of vessels, in particular semi-rigid vessels and speedboats.
In 2018, Spain made progress in penalizing the production and use of speedboats for illicit purposeswith the previous Government working on drafting similar legislation, but the fall of the Government prevented it from being discussed and approved in parliament.
In June 2023, the PJ and the Spanish Civil Guard dismantled a criminal organization dedicated to the construction of “speedboats”, allegedly used to transport “large quantities” of drugs that were introduced into Europe through Portugal and Spain.
The searches in Portugal resulted in the seizure of 21 vessels “at different stages of production, one of which is already fully equipped.
Total, Authorities from both countries seized 40 vessels“of which a dozen are equipped and available for immediate use by the organization.”
The cooperation between police entities targeted “a criminal group formed in Spain which, taking into account the ban on the production of ‘seaplanes’ enacted in Spain in 2018, had the help of Portuguese companies, to which they placed orders for the vessels.”
The ships were then prepared and put into the water, “at different points along the Portuguese and Spanish coast, already loaded with large quantities of fuel. in drums, intended for the collection and transportation of narcotics.”
The PJ would later explain that the Portuguese businessman arrested for producing “airplanes” in Portugal would be charged in Spain, because Portuguese legislation does not provide for this type of crime.
In a press conference, the coordinator of the Northern direction of the PJ, Avelino Lima, explained that since 2018, Spanish law has classified the production of these fast boats as a crime when they are used for illicit purposes, revealing that in Portugal “similar legislation was being prepared.”
Source: Observadora
