Out of the 27 people involved in a drug network based in Bairro da Palmeira (Malvinas), Câmara de Lobos, most were found guilty in a trial that wrapped up this week at the Funchal court (Building 2000). Ten received prison sentences ranging from 3 to 9 years, eleven got suspended sentences, and six were acquitted.
Seven of the defendants remained in pre-trial detention awaiting trial, but one received a suspended prison sentence today. The Cape Verdean woman was caught traveling from Lisbon to the Azores with a 374-gram package of MDMA (ecstasy). The judges saw it as a one-time offense, noted her clean record and genuine remorse during the trial, and believe she is unlikely to reoffend.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office, later backed by the investigating judge, outlined the actions of an alleged drug network operating in Câmara de Lobos. The group was reportedly supplied by a São Tomé national living in the Lisbon area, who evaded arrest and will be tried separately. According to the prosecution, eight members of a family from Bairro da Palmeira (Malvinas) sold drugs—including heroin, ‘bloom’, methadone, mephedrone, cocaine, MDMA, and cannabis—between 2019 and May the 14th, 2024.
In reviewing the summary of the decision (the full judgment spans 662 pages), Judge Carla Meneses, who presided over the panel, stated that the accusation was partially proven, though the timeframe of the group’s criminal activity was reduced. She took care to explain the serious harm caused to consumers and society by the trafficking of ‘bloom’ (Alpha PHP), noting that its effects are as severe, if not more so, than those of hard drugs like heroin. This reality is well recognised in Madeira and the Azores, but not on mainland Portugal.
The last trial session at the Funchal court took place under reinforced security measures, with a special unit composed of PSP officers and Prison Guard members.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
