The indictment of the MP, consulted today by Lusa, imputes to the defendants dozens of crimes of theft, theft in consummated and attempted form, resistance and coercion on official, driving without legal license, possession of prohibited weapon, introduction in place closed to the public, damage and receipt.

Investigators speak of a "criminal web" that the defendants were "weaving" over time and that was dismantled in a mega police operation conducted by the PSP, in July 2022.

In less than half a year, the defendants will have carried out 36 robberies to homes, shops, business premises, construction sites and other spaces, in several municipalities in the districts of Aveiro and Coimbra.

The targets were mostly elderly people who, due to the physical fragility inherent to their age, as well as the fact that they lived alone, were certainly incapable of offering resistance.

According to the investigation, the defendants studied the characteristics and routines of the users of the places they intended to burgle, they broke in through doors and windows to get into the houses and surprised the residents sleeping in their rooms, threatening them with death if they did not tell them where the valuable objects were.

The robberies were carried out by a group of six men, five of whom are in pre-trial detention, and the remaining defendants (seven men and three women) are charged with receiving stolen goods.

Among the defendants is the owner of a jewellery shop who bought the gold and jewellery items stolen by the defendants, without any registration or documentation, and a businessman who, in addition to frequently acquiring the stolen goods, is also charged as a co-conspirator in three of the robberies.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested the confiscation of 615 thousand euros, corresponding to the minimum global value of the goods and valuables stolen by the defendants.

The operation "Teia Dourada", which resulted from an investigation developed by the Criminal Investigation Department of the PSP of Aveiro, culminated with the arrest of seven people on suspicion of committing crimes of theft and receiving stolen goods, in July 2022.

In addition to the detainees, eight other people were also charged, on suspicion of committing the crimes of possession of a prohibited weapon and receiving stolen goods.

During the operation, 37 search and seizure warrants were served (in homes, businesses and vehicles) in 11 districts of Aveiro, Coimbra and Porto (Aveiro, Águeda, Lousã, Sever do Vouga, Oliveira do Bairro, Albergaria-a-Velha, Ílhavo, Vagos, Murtosa, Porto and Matosinhos).

Hundreds of stolen items were also seized, including 28 weapons (12 of which were firearms), hundreds of cartridges and ammunition, seven motor vehicles, dozens of gold items, about 200 thousand euros in cash, about 300 grams of narcotics (hashish and marijuana), dozens of electrical and other construction tools, various agricultural support machinery, construction material, large and small household appliances, electronic devices and food items, among others.