Police authorities have arrested eight men suspected of drug trafficking this weekend in Albufeira and Vilamoura.

The detainees, who are between 19 and 35 years old, were approached as part of an operation aimed at combating drug sales in busy nightlife areas of areas the Algarve, a source from the GNR's Faro Territorial Command told Lusa.

The operation had a special focus on the Vilamoura Marina and in areas of bars and clubs in Albufeira and was the result of a “strong focus” that the GNR has at the beginning of the summer season to “fight this type of crime at night next to nightlife spaces”.

According to the same source, due to the “low amounts” of drugs seized - 210 doses of cocaine, 30 doses of hashish, nine of cannabis and 1.8 grams of MDMA , the detainees were subject to a Term of Identity and Residence and will now wait on bail.

The GNR source also said that the operation carried out over the weekend will be “maintained” in periods of greater influx to nightlife areas in the Algarve, where “this type of crime is expected to increase” with the beginning of the high tourist season of the year.

“With the start of the summer season and a greater influx of people, after two years of the [covid-19] pandemic, we will continue to focus on these areas under control to ensure the safety of these areas” in the district of Faro.