Between Wednesday and Saturday the GNR arrested ten men at Tavira and Fuzeta, found about 1.5 million doses of cocaine in Loulé and seized some 7,350 litres of petrol at Tavira, Albufeira and Aljezur.
Their association says the force has been starved since 2002, recruited no one from 2009 to 2015 and received four new boats in 17 years. It wants the Polícia Judiciária coordinating operations at sea.
Portugal's new high-speed-vessel regime enters force on Sunday 17 May after a 90-day vacatio legis. Flagless EAVs draw 1-4 years in prison; €25k individual / €100k corporate fines; DGRM licensing and AT customs become non-optional. PJ has seized 200+ narcolanchas in six years.
Polícia Judiciária says its narcotics unit, backed by the Air Force, the Navy, the Maritime Police and the GNR's coastal squadron, intercepted a high-speed boat carrying close to one tonne of cocaine in waters off Setúbal — the country's biggest single Atlantic seizure since the start of 2026.
