Lisbon, Nov. 25, 2025 (Lusa) - The president of the Observatory on Security, Organised Crime and Terrorism (OSCOT) said on Tuesday that the presence of GNR and PSP police officers in a network that exploited immigrants "weakens, but does not undermine" public institutions.
"It is clear that it weakens organisations, insofar as when the state sees its employees involved in criminal networks, it ultimately damages its image," but "one tree does not compromise the forest," Francisco Rodrigues told Lusa, regarding the arrest of 10 members of the GNR and one of the PSP in a network aiding illegal immigration and exploiting immigrants.
In any organisation, "whether public or private, there are bad apples", but "institutions are too big to be truly affected by these cases", said the OSCOT leader.
The GNR and PSP are "very dignified structures and are of great importance to the state and society," so this case "weakens but does not shake the institutions," he added.
The existence of these cases nevertheless requires "constant attention" from the hierarchies, which must act in an exemplary manner in investigating the cases.
Then, "when and if crimes that compromise the state and institutions are proven, these people must be removed, to set an example to society and to show that organisations are attentive to this type of phenomenon," Francisco Rodrigues added.
Seventeen people, including ten GNR military personnel and one PSP officer, were arrested in a Judicial Police (PJ) operation that dismantled a criminal organisation that controlled hundreds of workers in Beja, Portalegre, Figueira da Foz and Porto.
The investigation concerns crimes of aiding illegal immigration, forgery, tax fraud and money laundering.
According to the authorities, the criminal organisation controlled hundreds of foreign workers, most of whom were in Portugal illegally.
A police source revealed to the Lusa news agency that a total of 17 people were arrested, namely the 10 GNR officers in Beja, one PSP officer, and six civilians, all covered by arrest warrants.
"Not all the arrests were made in the Beja area," added the same source, also indicating that most of the immigrant workers who were victims of the network "are of Hindustani origin".
According to Portugal's criminal investigation police agency, PJ, "through temporary employment agencies set up for this purpose, [the network] took advantage of their vulnerability, exploiting them, charging them for accommodation and food and keeping them under duress through threats, with several incidents of physical abuse".
The same police source contacted by Lusa reported that "the criminal group, made up mainly of Portuguese citizens, exploited immigrants, most of whom were in Portugal illegally, and forged documents so they could work in Portugal".
PJA/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
