A 32-year old man, considered to be one of the main cocaine dealers in the Quarteira, Loulé and Almancil areas, was arrested after an eight month investigation by the Loulé GNR police force.
A 24-year old woman, said to be his accomplice, was also taken into custody after the police were threatened with a firearm at his home in Cascalheira, Loulé.
On the arrival of police, the woman opened the door to the residence, where the man was waiting with a .32 calibre revolver. The police, however, were able to disarm the suspect and search the home.
They found 44 bullets of various calibres, material used in the preparation of drugs, jewellery, watches, 10 mobile phones and €297 in cash. The pistol was also believed to have been stolen.
According to a GNR press release, the arrested man had previous convictions for drug offences. He was due to appear in court with his co-accused.
Police believe they have now dealt a “killer blow” to drug dealing in the municipality of Loulé.
Secret garden
At the same time, police carried out a successful drug bust in Monchique, where a 70-year old man and his 43 year-old son had a plantation of cannabis on a plot of land at Sítio da Bica.
The secret garden was discovered by chance during a routine summer forest patrol by GNR officers from Monchique to assess any possible risk of forest fires.
They found 15 mature cannabis plants measuring more than one metre high, which they confiscated.
Since the beginning of the year, police have detected 859 cannabis plants in the Algarve and detained 20 individuals in a total of 24 anti-drugs operations. The total weight of the drugs seized was around 800kg.
