A criminal association dedicated to the trafficking of large quantities of narcotic substances operating in the provinces of Turin and Asti and with branches in Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany, Sicily and Sardinia has been dismantled.
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More than 100 kg of drugs seized that would have generated illegal revenues of 20 million euros. Cocaine hidden in the forms of Parmesan.
Soldiers of the Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza of Turin, with the coordination of the local Public Prosecutor's Office - District Anti-Mafia Directorate, have implemented a precautionary custody order issued by the Judge for preliminary investigations of the Court of the Piedmontese capital against 10 people (7 in prison and 3 under house arrest).
The investigative activity, launched by the Turin economic and financial police unit in the first months of last year, made it possible - following complex investigations by the judicial police, also conducted through stalking and telephone and environmental interceptions - to gather significant circumstantial elements regarding the existence of the alleged criminal association, which - in the event of an indictment - would have committed multiple crimes related to the importation and trafficking of drugs.
According to the elements collected, the group is made up of a thirty-seven year old of Albanian nationality with top management functions and nine other people (ten in all: 7 Italians and 3 Albanians), operating above all in Piedmont (in the provinces of Turin and Asti) and with ramifications also in other Italian regions.
The organization - endowed with huge economic resources - has resulted in the prosecution hypothesis making use of tested systems to make communications between associates confidential as well as various places to be used as storage deposits.
Some of the addressees of the custodial measures are also challenged for illegal possession and carrying firearms in a public place.
In the light of the clues collected by the Fiamme Gialle, it was possible to reconstruct how the association under investigation was able to organize functional operations for the custody, detention and transport of narcotics at a national and international level.
This through:
• the procurement of large quantities of cocaine from abroad, in particular from Holland, with subsequent transport on board articulated lorries;
• the storage of the narcotic in storage sites located in Piedmont (in particular in the provinces of Asti, Alessandria and Cuneo) as well as in other areas of northern Italy (including the province of Rovigo);
• the subsequent distribution in various regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany, Sicily and Sardinia), through "couriers" and making use of a large fleet of vehicles (owned or hired). They would also have dealt with the recovery of the money proceeds from the illegal activities.
During the investigations, the military of the Guardia di Finanza intercepted and seized some consignments of narcotic substances treated by the association, such as the approximately:
• 100 kg of pure cocaine found, in April 2022, inside a camper, thanks also to the help of canine units;
• 25 kg of pure cocaine found, in June 2022, in the province of Asti, in a van headed for Sardinia and hidden inside 5 wheels of grana padano/parmesan cheese, specially prepared as a cover load.
If placed on the "retail" market, the aforementioned drug could have generated illicit revenues of at least 20 million euros. ■