FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The Guardia di Finanza has dismantled an Albanian-speaking drug trafficking and cultivation organization in the Lombardy region of Italy.
The investigations launched in 2024, where around half a ton of marijuana and cocaine were initially seized, were recently finalized with a large-scale operation, which led to at least 12 arrests of suspects and the discovery of an abandoned warehouse on 'Via Adige', in the heart of the industrial area of Villaggio Vecchio, in the region of Brescia and Pescara.
Twelve people were arrested in Pescara on charges of criminal association for the production, trafficking and possession of narcotics.
"The investigation coordinated by the L'Aquila District Anti-Mafia Directorate and carried out by the Carabinieri Investigation Unit of the Pescara Provincial Command, documented the activity of a well-structured criminal organization, composed mainly of individuals of Albanian origin," the authorities announced after the action.
The network had its decision-making base in Abruzzo, in Montesilvano and Città Sant'Angelo, but also had operational ramifications in Lombardy, in particular in the provinces of Milan, Brescia, Varese and Cremona. The warehouse was one of the main places of cultivation of the group's marijuana.
The investigative activity led to the seizure of a total of 421 kg of marijuana and 2 kg of cocaine. The criminal group also obtained cocaine from the canals of Lombardy, transporting it to Abruzzo in rented vans. The investigations revealed how part of the proceeds was regularly transferred to Albania. The suspects used SIM cards registered in the names of unsuspecting individuals, encrypted messaging applications and a careful logistical network to avoid any mistakes.
On February 29, 2024, the first strike against the organization was carried out, with the seizure of a significant amount of drugs, but the investigations were extended even further. After the latest arrests and the discovery of another warehouse in the area, the picture for investigators is clearer, as there are 12 more arrested, who are accused of being implicated in the amount of drugs seized earlier.
"Today, with the arrests in Pescara, the picture is clear: the cultivation of marijuana in Piadena was just one aspect of an organization that managed a national trafficking, transporting tons of drugs between central and northern Italy and reinvesting the profits abroad," informs Italian media.
The arrests also answered questions about who was behind the drug warehouse discovered in this area last year.
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