The trial of one of the most complex drug cases in Madeira ended this afternoon in the court of Funchal (Building 2000), with the conviction of the 19 defendants and two car trading companies. Furthermore, immediate sentencing was handed down to eleven of the defendants.
Presided over by a panel of judges chaired by Joana Dias a 41-year-old man who was appointed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office as the leader of the group was sentenced to 13 years in prison for drug trafficking and money laundering. Ten other defendants also received effective prison sentences, including the two automotive businessmen who allegedly helped to ‘launder’ money from trafficking.
The prosecution said that this group imported ‘bloom’ (Alpha PHP) from the Netherlands for sale in Madeira, a business that would yield several hundred thousand euros, using car sales companies to conceal such proceeds. They also allegedly used the money to buy luxury cars (Lamborghini and Porsche) and real estate.
This process is the result of a long investigation by the Judicial Police (PJ) and the Public Security Police (PSP), which involved several drug seizures, carried out between October 2020 and May 2023.
The court decided to declare the luxury cars seized in the context of this case forfeited to the State.
