Judge Maria Pires, who presides over the panel that will judge the case, explained in the session that the postponement was due to the refusal of defendants Gabriel Carvalho and Ayari Chokri to be represented by a public lawyer.

The defence lawyers informed the court that they were renouncing the power of attorney to represent the two men, one of Brazilian nationality and the other who claims to have Italian and Egyptian nationality.

According to the court, the two men, in preventive detention in a prison in Lisbon, informed that they “do not accept public lawyers and intend to appoint a new legal representative”.

The defendants are suspected of belonging to an international drug trafficking network and were arrested in March 2023, in Albufeira, during a police operation when they were transporting 1,200 kilos of cocaine in a truck.

The six men, aged between 24 and 62, all in pre-trial detention, have Brazilian, Croatian, Italian and Portuguese nationality and are accused of the crimes of aggravated drug trafficking and criminal association.

They are suspected of “introducing large quantities of cocaine into the European market” and of belonging to “a very powerful network” that had a logistical base in the Algarve and Portugal as a “gateway” for subsequent distribution in Europe.

In the operation carried out by the Judicial Police (PJ), in addition to the drugs, a heavy vehicle used to transport the cocaine, “communication equipment, large amounts of cash, documents and other objects” were seized.

The investigation was led by the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP) in Lisbon.

According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, “there is evidence that the detainees are part of an international criminal organization that transports large quantities of cocaine by sea from South America, where it is produced, to Europe, with entry via Portugal.”

The first hearing of the trial, with a total of seven witnesses for the prosecution and defense called, has been scheduled for September 4, at 9:15 am.

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