Arrested || He is known as ‘Fábio Cigano’ and was wanted for a number of crimes, including kidnappings, drug dealing and the illegal possession of firearms.
After months on the run, he was finally arrested by PJ criminal police last week, although the exact location was not revealed.
His latest crimes are said to have taken place between January and June, but this was not the first time Fábio Cigano has made the headlines.
News reports from years ago show that the 22-year-old was once considered one of the most wanted criminals in the Algarve, with attempted murder, robberies and gunfights all on his list of his alleged offences.
He was arrested in July 2010 in Évora and sentenced to seven years in jail for robberies in Silves and Albufeira. However, he was later released due to “lack of proof”.
Fábio Cigano ran into trouble with the authorities again in 2012, after ignoring a police ‘Operation Stop’, but this didn’t see him sentenced to any further jail time.
Fast-forward to 2014, and his troubles with the law have returned.
A string of crimes during the first six months of this year put the PJ police back on his trail.
Alongside Faro’s GNR and PSP, the PJ police were finally able to locate Fábio Cigano, who is believed to have kept moving between the Algarve and Spain while on the run.
He was in the company of two men when he was arrested, one of whom was also detained on drug trafficking charges.
Police confiscated two pistols, ammunition, around €1,500 in cash and two cars.
At the house where they ran the men to ground, authorities also found four shotguns, two rifles, a pistol and a kilo of hashish.
Both men are now in custody as they await court appearances.
by Michael Bruxo
