In total, according to the GNR, 1,730 vehicles were seized in Operation Medusa, along with weapons, cash and IT equipment, believed to have been used in the scam.


Thirty people, men and women, were officially identified, their places of residence verified and instructed to attend routine check-ins with local authorities, but, as the GNR indicated in a statement, a number of companies were also officially targeted and notified in the ongoing investigation.


The force says there was a concerted effort by organised groups to “cause the depletion of companies’ assets and their eventual insolvency, actions which were assisted by the entities currently being investigated.”


On Sunday, the GNR announced the seizure of thousands of documents and more than 1,400 vehicles, including cars and trucks, a number it upped to 1,730 two days later following new data.


As the investigation is being governed by Portugal’s strict judicial secrecy laws, no further details have been forwarded about the case, which relates almost entirely to the buying and selling of vehicles.


It has also since been confirmed that banks and other creditors have been affected by the scam which, the GNR says, will have “a very big social impact on a large number of families.”


Searches were carried out at 91 establishments and private properties over 1, 2 and 3 July, including law and accountancy firms. These were all conducted in the districts of Lisbon, Santarém, Setúbal and Faro.


A total value of 44 million euros was seized, including cash in different currencies such as dollars, euros, and Swiss francs.
The defendants are suspected of criminal association, qualified embezzlement, tax fraud, qualified tax fraud, money laundering and forging of documents, among other alleged crimes.


“Operation Medusa” remains focussed on investigating allegations relating to the purchase and sale of motor vehicles, and involve a group of about 30 individuals and 70 companies who, since 2013, have developed the activity of buying and selling repossessed vehicles, along with vehicles with requests to be seized as assets or being part of the insolvency of third party companies.


In total 387 government officials were involved in the operation; 339 GNR officers and 48 inspectors of the Tax and Customs Authority, plus two judges and two prosecutors who participated in searches.