63-Year-Old Portuguese Woman Detained Upon Arrival from the UK
A 63-year-old Portuguese woman was arrested on Monday at Madeira Airport, more than two decades after being convicted of drug trafficking. She arrived on a flight from the United Kingdom and was stopped by airport police as she entered the country.
According to the Public Security Police (PSP) in Madeira, the woman had an active arrest warrant. She was identified during a routine check by the Airport Security Division, which confirmed that she had been officially declared in contempt of court after failing to serve a prison sentence for a crime committed in 1997.
Conviction Confirmed After 24 Years on the Run
The PSP confirmed that the woman had been sentenced in 2001 to six years in prison after being found guilty of drug trafficking. That sentence had already become final, meaning there was no further possibility of appeal. Since then, she had been avoiding justice and was considered a fugitive.
She was inspected upon entering Portugal through the Region, on a flight from the United Kingdom, and it was found that she had been declared a fugitive for a drug trafficking crime committed in 1997.
Airport Security Police, Diário de NotĂcias da Madeira
Woman Will Serve Full Term of Her 6 Year Prison Sentence
Following her arrest, the woman was taken directly to Cancela Prison in Madeira. Authorities stated that she will now begin serving the full sentence originally imposed over two decades ago. The police did not share more details about her whereabouts during the years she spent outside Portugal, nor about how she managed to avoid being captured for so long.
Airport Controls Help Identify Long-Term Fugitives
This case highlights the role of routine checks at airports in helping law enforcement track down individuals who have escaped justice. In recent years, Portugal has made use of improved border procedures and shared international databases to identify people with outstanding legal issues. Although the crime happened in the nineties, the arrest shows that sentences related to serious offences, like drug trafficking, remain valid, even after many years.
Source: Diário de NotĂcias da Madeira
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