Porto police officers sentenced to up to eight years for abuse

The Tribunal de São João Novo in Porto sentenced three members of the Public Security Police (PSP) for serious misconduct. The men received prison terms ranging from four years and ten months to eight years and nine months; the longest sentence was eight years and nine months, while a four‑year‑ten‑month term was suspended for the same period and placed on probation. A sub‑commissioner who was also charged was acquitted.

The convictions relate to abusive police procedures carried out between December 2022 and July 2023 in drug‑related operations in Porto neighbourhoods. The agents falsified search and seizure records, misappropriated seized money and drugs, and entered into “silence pacts” with drug users who supplied information in exchange for narcotics. During sentencing, the presiding judge warned that “wearing a uniform does not give the right to disregard the law.”