In a statement, the PSP said that in the operation, organized by FRONTEX and which took place between September 23 and October 4, as well as the vehicle seizures and detainments, two people were also detained for illegal immigration, 14 for possession of weapons and three for theft of a vehicle.

Thirty-three firearms, 39 illegal weapons, 117 rounds of ammunition, 3.13 kilos of cannabis, 1.5 kilos of cocaine, 178 g of heroin and 158 g of ecstasy were also seized.

The operation was a follow-up to the European multidisciplinary platform against criminal threats (EMPACT), and oganized property crime (OPC) projects.

In addition to FRONTEX, EUROPOL, INTERPOL, CELBET and CARPOL also joined the operation, providing real-time information support.

The PSP clarifies that the objective of the operation was to recover stolen vehicles, stolen car components, combat the facilitation of illegal immigration and cause instability to criminal activities and perpetrators.

The operation also aimed to identify potential suspects, seize stolen material or any other prohibited product, learn about the "flow" circuit of stolen car components or components from the dismantling of stolen vehicles, improve knowledge about the subject and the collection of information and increase the feeling of security in the Schengen area.

The PSP represented Portugal in this operation and representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Kosovo, Lithuania, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom were present.

During the course of the operation, an operational coordination centre was implemented at FRONTEX headquarters in Warsaw, with representatives from several European countries, to allow the exchange of information in real time between the countries participating.