Beja, Portugal, Nov. 26, 2025 (Lusa) - The criminal organisation dismantled on Tuesday in the Judicial Police (PJ) operation "Safra Justa" controlled around 500 foreign workers in Alentejo, but not all of them are considered victims of trafficking, a police source said on Wednesday.

The police source contacted by the Lusa news agency explained that "around 500 foreign workers, but not all necessarily victims of trafficking, were under the control of this criminal organisation".

The alleged crimes under investigation date from 2023 to the present day and, following Tuesday's police operation, victims are being interviewed for future reference at the facilities of Beja Air Base No. 11 (BA11), the source said.

"But over the years, other victims have been heard," the source added.

On Tuesday, in a statement, Portugal's criminal investigation police agency, PJ, announced that it had carried out Operation "Safra Justa", which led to the dismantling of a criminal organisation involved in illegal immigration that controlled hundreds of foreign workers, most of whom were in Portugal illegally.

A total of 17 people were arrested, including 11 members of the security forces, 10 GNR military personnel and one PSP officer, and six civilians, aged between 26 and 60.

The detainees will begin to appear today, starting at 2 p.m., at the Central Criminal Investigation Court (TCIC) in Lisbon for their first judicial interrogation and the application of the respective coercive measures, a police source told Lusa today.

RRL/ADB // ADB.

Lusa