Judicial police arrested a 38-year-old man on suspicion of drug trafficking after finding about 100 bales of hashish in a stolen goods van.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] The bales weighed about 4.5 tonnes in total.[1][3][4][7][13][8][12] The van was hidden on a property in the rural area of Olhão, in the Algarve, and the man’s role, police say, was to guard the drug.[3][4][6][9][10][11] A Judicial Police source said the operation took place on Saturday[6][10], which one outlet dates to 7 November 2026[14]; the arrest was announced on Monday, 9 November.[4]

The Judicial Police’s Southern Directorate ran the operation with the Republican National Guard (GNR), within an investigation into the storing and guarding of drugs by a criminal group.[15][3][6][7][13][8][9][10][16] Investigators believe the hashish was brought ashore by sea through the channels of the Ria Formosa.[1][3][6][7][8][9][14][11] The seizure adds to a series of major hashish cases along the Algarve coast, where waterways are regularly used to bring drugs ashore from North Africa.[1]

The suspect, who has previous records, was to appear before a judge for a first hearing that would decide any preventive measures.[1][3][4][7][8][9][14][17] One later account says he was caught in the act, has been heard by a judge and will await trial in pre-trial detention.[12] The investigation continues under the Public Prosecutor’s Office (DIAP) in Faro.[15][3][4][6][7][8]