In a statement, the Faro command of the PSP said that the arrests followed an investigation carried out over the last year, "in an operation that lasted about 20 hours and in which 32 search warrants were carried out in the municipalities of Portimão, Lagos and Olhão and in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area", including 25 house search warrants.

“Several elements of evidence were brought to support that the suspects are engaged in the practice of this criminal typology on a repeated basis, especially in the form of direct sales to the consumer, including sales in the context of nightlife activities and when festivals are held, in the Algarve area”, reads the note.

According to the PSP, more than four kilos of drugs were seized: 6,775 doses of ecstasy, 5,868 doses of hashish, 1,809 doses of cocaine and 425 doses of heroin, as well as material for weighing, packaging and cutting drugs, more than €28,000, four firearms and 185 ammunition.