Portuguese police deny being removed from case affecting Interior Minister

Portugal's Judicial Police (PJ) has refuted claims that it was sidelined from an investigation into a trailer seized from drug traffickers. The trailer was reportedly discovered at a construction company with ties to the current Interior Minister, Luís Neves, who formerly headed the PJ.

The vehicle was confiscated in 2024 during a major operation targeting cocaine trafficking. This month, it reappeared at the premises of Construbarcelos, a construction firm owned by a friend of Minister Neves. The company has previously worked for the PJ and on a private property belonging to Neves.

In response to the situation, the Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office announced it would take charge of clarifying how the trailer arrived at the construction company. They stated that the investigation would not be delegated to any police body at this time. The PJ maintained that it initiated the inquiry itself and subsequently forwarded the case file to the Prosecutor's Office, adhering to standard procedure. The original anti-drug operation that led to the trailer's seizure successfully dismantled one of Europe's largest cocaine labs, resulting in the confiscation of approximately 1.5 tons of drugs.