Uncovering a drug trafficking and money laundering network in Portugal and Spain

The police of Portugal and Spain have uncovered a drug trafficking and money laundering network as part of Operation "Montana." As a result, 156,000 euros in cash, gold bars worth 35,000 euros, 50 vehicles, luxury jewelry and watches were seized, and more than 100 bank accounts and 10 properties worth over three million euros were blocked.

An international criminal network involved in drug trafficking and money laundering, which operated for eight years in the European Union and South America, has been dismantled in Portugal and Spain. Twenty suspects have been arrested.

The Portuguese Judicial Police (PJ) reported this Wednesday that Operation "Montana" was the result of cooperation between the police departments of Spain and Portugal, coordinated by Europol, which conducted 13 searches and arrested 20 suspects on March 6 and 7.

The criminal network used stolen identities of citizens from Colombia, Portugal, Spain, and Venezuela, suspected of laundering over 10 million euros.

According to the data from PZ, the network has been under surveillance by Spanish authorities since 2021 - Mossos d'Esquadra and Policía Nacional - indicating the involvement of Portuguese citizens in transporting money and subsequently depositing it into bank accounts in Portugal.

These accounts were opened in the names of Portuguese individuals with connections to the Portuguese diaspora in Latin America, primarily in Venezuela.

Two home searches were conducted in Portugal in the areas of Ilhavo and Aveiro, targeting the main suspect.