Meet the Portuguese Sopranos: a tourist scam, drugs, corrupt cops, a chef, a criminal granny and "Pikachu" (thread) publico.pt/2020/12/28/soc…
A few years ago some international news outlets reported on a restaurant in Lisbon that would propose a "fresh" special not on the menu. When you got the bill you'd discover that a piece of codfish cost you 200 EUR, a beer 25 EUR, etc.
english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/08…
english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/08…
Reviews were not great. tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Rev… 
The restaurant changed names a number of time to escape the reviews. It turned out that the owner was a former pickpocket operating in the famous tram 28 popular with tourists publico.pt/2017/08/01/loc…
In fact the tourist scam was actually also a cover for a large-scale drug trafficking operation involving the collaboration of corrupt cops in the local police. publico.pt/2020/05/28/soc…
One policeman was doing everything he could to cover the restaurant and its owners. But not only: he also procured them police uniforms with which they could ambush rival gangs and steal their drugs pretending to be police.
The nicknames of the members of the gang were straight out of a film: "Little Andre", "Piglet" or "Pikachu". Grandma was also helping out by keeping hundreds of thousands of euros in her small flat.
Little André is the son of the pickpocket and rather irascible. He pointed a gun at the head of his own father after stealing a Bentley from him. cmjornal.pt/portugal/detal…
He also offered to pay 50'000 EUR to someone he had shot 5 times to withdraw his complaint to the police. 10'000 per bullet.
Incidentally, the phone of the corrupt cop helping the gang was tapped and revealed that a famous chef paid him to travel during lockdown. He was thanked with wine and cognac.
jn.pt/justica/polici…
jn.pt/justica/polici…
Not only agents of the local police were involved, but also of the tax and health and safety authorities. publico.pt/2020/03/03/soc…
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
