A Madeiran defendant was sentenced, this morning, in the Funchal court (Building 2000), to six years in prison, for having tried to introduce around 22 kilos of drugs into Madeira in the summer of last year.
The defendant, surnamed Silva and 46 years old, was accused by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of having purchased around 21 kilos of hashish and 100 grams of cocaine in Lisbon, having hidden the drug in the lining of the passenger compartment of an Audi A3, which sent to Madeira by sea. The man was detained by the Judiciary Police on the afternoon of July 13, 2022, when he was preparing to collect the vehicle at the port of Caniçal. He was awaiting trial in pre-trial detention.
In court, the defendant partially admitted the facts, but tried to say that he was merely a drug transporter. However, it did not convince the panel of judges chaired by Teresa de Sousa, who came to the conclusion that the defendant was actually the owner of the narcotic product, which he intended to sell in Madeira, in order to resolve the financial problems he was facing.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court declared the Audi A3 vehicle in which the drugs were transported be handed over to the State.