Twenty suspects, including nine public officials, arrested in Praia
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Expresso das Ilhas
Cape Verde’s judicial police arrested 20 suspects in Praia, including four police officers, five prison guards and a senior public administration official, in a new phase of Operation Shark. Investigators seized weapons, ammunition, cannabis and cocaine, reports Expresso das Ilhas.
The Polícia Judiciária, Cape Verde’s judicial police, arrested 20 suspects in Praia on Tuesday 3 November as part of Operation “Shark”, including four National Police officers, five prison guards and a senior public administration official, according to a statement from the institution. The suspects, 17 men and three women aged between 20 and 60, are being investigated for high-risk drug trafficking, money laundering, criminal association and other alleged offences.
The Central Directorate for Criminal Investigation carried out 10 residential search warrants with the support of the National Police and the directorate of Praia’s central prison. Investigators seized a shotgun, a 6.35 mm-calibre pistol, ammunition, cannabis, cocaine, cutting agents and equipment linked to the preparation and consumption of drugs, according to the Polícia Judiciária.
Two vehicles and several electronic devices were also seized for examination. Some suspects were already known to the authorities and had been convicted of other offences, according to the judicial police. All were brought before the judicial authorities on Tuesday afternoon for their first questioning, pending a decision on judicial supervision measures.
