Cocaine investigation at Lisbon Airport: Two employees are detained, the smuggling network within the airport is under the spotlight again

It was reported that two airport employees were detained in a new Polícia Judiciária operation related to drug trafficking at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport.

According to Correio da Manhã, citing investigative sources, the operation is linked to suspected international cocaine trafficking.

The file brought the issue of the use of access rights of employees at Lisbon Airport by international drug networks to the agenda again.

Not every detail about the operation has been officially confirmed yet.

There is an important source distinction in this news.

Updated information regarding the detention of two airport employees was published by Correio da Manhã.

However, all the figures circulated regarding the amount of cocaine, cash and the exact roles of the suspects associated with the operation have not been independently verified by PJ's accessible official statement.

For this reason, PTNewsHub does not publish unconfirmed amounts as definitive information at this stage.

Using airport employees is not a new method

The history of such operations at Lisbon Airport goes back several years.

PJ had previously revealed in the series of operations called "Limpeza Profunda" that people working in handling, baggage and cleaning services were helping international drug networks.

One of the methods used in investigations is the discovery of suitcases containing cocaine. It was to be removed from planes without going through the normal baggage and customs control chain.

Some employees were accused of taking advantage of their access to restricted areas of the airport to take the drugs directly off the plane.

Employees were also detained in the 2024 operation

In July 2024, PJ detained two people working in a handling company operating at Lisbon Airport on suspicion of international drug smuggling.

According to the police, the employees were trying to remove drugs from the planes by using their access powers.

During that operation, cocaine equivalent to hundreds of thousands of individual doses was seized.

These past investigations explain why the current operation is not seen as just “two people caught with drugs” from a security perspective.

The main security risk is insider access

Passenger checks alone are not enough in the fight against drugs at an airport.

In some cases, personnel working in baggage, apron, cleaning, catering and aircraft services can access controlled areas that normal passengers cannot enter.

Collaboration of an insider in terms of criminal networks:

bypassing the baggage check chain,

removing drugs directly from the plane,

skipping checkpoints

can make it possible.

For this reason, PJ's past operations focused specifically on employee connections within the airport.

Investigation ongoing

Current New official information is expected about the exact position of the two employees in the file, the size of the smuggling network and whether other people are being investigated.

Likewise, there is no final court decision stating that the detained people are guilty.

In the next stage of the investigation, it is expected that the suspects will be brought before the judicial authorities and the protective measures to be applied, if any, will be determined.

Resources

Correio da Manhã — September 12, 2026 — News about the detention of two employees at Lisbon Airport on suspicion of cocaine smuggling

Correio da Manhã — March 22, 2024 — international drug networks using airport employees

https://www.cmjornal.pt/portugal/detalhe/funcionarios-do-aeroporto-de-lisboa-tinham-tabela-de-precos-para-colaborar-com-redes-de-trafico-internacional

24 Notícias / Lusa — 26 July 2024 — Detention of two handling workers at Lisbon Airport

https://24noticias.sapo.pt/atualidade/artigos/dois-funcionarios-do-aeroporto-de-lisboa-detidos-com-grandes-quantidades-de-droga