PSP seizes more than 60 vehicles in Interpol-led European operation against car theft

Results in Portugal

Portugal's Public Security Police (PSP) announced on Friday, 30 October 2026, that it had recovered and seized more than 60 vehicles and other mobility devices linked to theft, robbery and breach of trust. The haul covered cars, motorcycles, bicycles and scooters, gathered over nearly two weeks in which the force mobilised a significant number of officers. The period matches the 28 September to 9 October window of the European action. Several of the vehicles located were flagged in the Schengen Information System (SIS). The national balance also includes at least 15 vehicles with international alerts or links, five forged driving licences and more than ten cases of vehicle fraud involving false number plates and altered vehicle identification numbers (VIN). The PSP presented these figures as its own national contribution, separate from the wider European total.

The JAD Mobile 9 operation

The Portuguese participation formed part of JAD Mobile 9, a Joint Action Day run under INTERPOL leadership between 28 September and 9 October. The operation's coordination centre was in Warsaw, Poland. Forces targeted several forms of car crime at once, covering passenger vehicles, lorries, car parts, agricultural machinery, boats and outboard motors. Particular attention went to trafficking stolen vehicles across external borders, along with the document fraud that often accompanies it. Across all participating countries, more than 700 vehicles were seized and 334 arrests were made, a total that does not refer only to the PSP's work in Portugal. Europol, INTERPOL and FRONTEX supported the exchange of information, according to RTP's account of the communiqué. Portugal's participation was therefore one national strand within a multi-country action.

Cooperation at the Warsaw centre

A PSP officer was assigned to the Warsaw coordination centre, where the officer handled operational coordination and the real-time sharing of relevant information between the participating authorities. Back in Portugal, the force also ran checks against police databases and traded operational information with several countries, drawing on support from international partners. The communiqué, released on the morning of Friday, 30 October, described this side of the work in direct terms:

“The national participation included a strong component of international police cooperation.”

The force said the results show the importance of international police cooperation and information sharing in the fight against car crime. The PSP's figures for Portugal are therefore the national share of a larger, Europe-wide tally.