Portuguese police shift up a gear with Ferrari seized in drug trafficking probe

From a Ford Mustang GT and Porsche 911 Carrera to a Ferrari 488 GTB: Portugal's police have assembled a collection of sports cars that would be the envy of any petrolhead.

The Ferrari 488 GTB — which is worth about €260,000 second-hand — was recently seized by law enforcement as part of a drug trafficking case, according to local media reports.

It was handed over to the Portuguese Public Security Police (PSP) by the government following a legal process.

Equipped with a 3.9-litre V8 biturbo engine, it's capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 3 seconds and reaching 200 km/h in 8.3 seconds, with a top speed of 330 km/h.

However, despite its impressive stats, the Ferrari will not be used for high-speed pursuits.

Instead, it is being reserved for the urgent transport of human organs, exhibitions and road safety demonstrations, and escorting officials and VIPs to and from major events.

The PSP also has other high-performance models in its garage: including a Ford Mustang GT, BMW i8, Porsche 911 Carrera, Audi R8 and Subaru Impreza. The vehicles were seized in cases involving fraud, illegal importation and drug trafficking, among others.

Portugal's National Republican Guard (GNR) isn't far behind in the sports car stakes.

In recent years, it's integrated 24 high-performance vehicles into its line-up, including a Nissan GT-R and Porsche models such as the 911 Carrera Cabrio, Panamera and Taycan.

The allocation of these cars is managed by the Asset Administration Office (GAB), the entity responsible for preserving and disposing of assets seized in criminal cases, including vehicles, property and money. The aim is to prevent the loss or devaluation of these assets: they can be sold, destroyed or put to public use.