GNR made the arrests in Beja. The three men also had four firearms, an air rifle, 280 rounds of ammunition, a silencer, two telescopic sights and a hunting trap.
Three men were arrested by the GNR for stealing 254 beehives, worth around 40,000 euros, possession of a prohibited weapon and hunting by unauthorized means, in the municipality of Beja, it was announced this Friday.
In a statement, the National Republican Guard (GNR) revealed that the three suspects, aged between 43 and 70, were arrested this Thursday by the Beja Criminal Investigation Center (NIC).
According to the GNR’s Beja Territorial Command, the arrests took place in the parish of Cabeça Gorda, as part of an investigation into the theft of beehives.
“The Guard military carried out police raids that culminated in the execution of search warrants,” one of them at home and the other two at warehouses, he said.
As well as arresting the suspects, the military seized the 254 hives, which have an “approximate value of 40,000 euros”, four firearms, an air rifle, 280 rounds of ammunition, a silencer, two telescopic sights and a hunting trap.
In the course of the investigations, the Guard also discovered “the existence of hives that had been stolen as part of other complaints, and it was possible to return hives to seven beekeepers in the Alentejo and Algarve areas”.
“After recognizing the hives on site, they were returned to their rightful owners,” he added.
The Guard also inspected five dogs and drew up “two administrative offense notices related to the lack of SIAC registration and the lack of rabies vaccination” for the animals.
The operation mobilized soldiers from various NICs, the Nature and Environmental Protection Service (SEPNA) and the Beja Territorial Command.
