According to the PSP Regional Command, the operation in the “Azores Parque” industrial area took place in the early hours of Sunday and was attended by several police forces from the Ponta Delgada Police Division, on the island of São Miguel.

The operation culminated in the arrest of four people, three of whom were suspected of committing the crime of driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and suspected of committing the crime of driving a vehicle without a legal license, according to a PSP press release.

A source from the PSP Regional Command added to Lusa that in the area there was "a large concentration of people and dozens of vehicles in the area".

During the operation, dozens of vehicles were inspected and fifteen infraction notices were drawn up, ten for altering the characteristics of the vehicle, one for lack of insurance, one for lack of inspection, one for driving without using the lighting system, another for driving a scooter on the sidewalk and one for lack of documents during the inspection.

The police operation was triggered by the need to "check and monitor the behaviour of several citizens who gather there, with clear intentions of showing off their vehicles and carrying out serious maneuvers, sometimes even putting drivers on the road in danger".

The PSP source told Lusa that "several complaints" have emerged about alleged illegal races.

In the note, the Regional Command of the Azores guarantees that it will "remain particularly attentive" in order to "eradicate this type of concentrations and safeguard the safety, integrity and well-being of citizens".