On 30 June 2026 the third criminal section of the Supreme Court of Justice in Lisbon unanimously dismissed the appeals of two men and confirmed the sentences imposed on them in Santarém on 4 February 2026.[1] One man, AA in the judgment, was sentenced to seven years. The other, BB, was sentenced to eight years and six months, both for drug trafficking.[1]
The court found that on 15 July 2025 the two drove separately to southern Spain, bought 29,300.5 grams of cannabis resin from a person who is not named, and brought it back toward Santarém in AA’s car.[1] At about 22:20 that night, public-security police stopped AA at the Almeirim tolls on the A13.[1] In the boot were 300 slabs of resin wrapped in brown tape, weighing 29,300.5 grams, at 28.4 percent purity, which the court counted as 166,426 daily doses.[1] AA had agreed to make the run for 1,000 euros and had rented the car from Europcar.[1] The price paid in Spain was not established.[1]
AA had no criminal record and had asked for a lighter, suspended sentence.[1] BB had been sentenced in 2021 to six years for drug trafficking and was still on parole, which was due to end on 3 January 2026.[1] The Supreme Court refused to treat the run as a lesser form of trafficking and said the prison terms should stand.[1] The offence, the trial court had noted, carries from four to twelve years.[1]
