Amadora || It was good while it lasted, but police have finally foiled a gang of “artful dodgers” who have been stealing from shops and businesses in Portugal and then shipping their booty to Africa to sell.
The group’s cunning MO involved targeting various towns in the country “where they wouldn’t be recognised” and stuffing merchandise into aluminium-lined rucksacks and bags.
As a gang member “distracted” sales staff, others loaded down with goods would dodge alarm systems as their bags’ aluminium lining acted as a signal block as they went through security doors.
And if staff got wind of what was going down, the gang thought nothing of punching their way out of trouble and making off to a waiting getaway car.
The scourge went unchecked for five trailblazing months, explains a recent release by Lisbon PSP’s Metropolitan Command – but an arrest of three gang members in January saw the first chink of light in the investigation, and late last week police rounded up six men, all in their 20s, believed to be the other members of the gang.
The men’s homes in the Sintra-Amadora area were all found to be chock-a-bloc with stolen IT equipment, as well as clothing, shoes, and perfumes taken from various heists.
Two guns, a weapon and €1,550 in cash were also found, said police.
The PSP statement continued: “It has to be noted that the material apprehended is just a small part of what had been taken” as most of it was sent to Africa, presumably for sale on the black market.
The six artful dodgers are now being interrogated. Some are already known to have criminal records, said the statement – and none are thought to have had any other (work-related) occupation over the last five months.
