Checks in Catania
As part of the integrated territorial control services in the historic center areas, arranged by the Catania Police Commissioner, the State Police has intensified controls in the “San Berillo” neighborhood and in the surrounding streets, diversifying its action in various time slots.
Specifically, between Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon, the agents of the Central Public Security Commissariat, together with four crews of the “Eastern Sicily” Crime Prevention Department, the canine units of the General Prevention and Public Rescue Office and a patrol of the Local Police, have carried out an important deterrent action against the commission of predatory crimes in the streets around the district, such as car thefts and robberies, also achieving some results in terms of combating the sale of narcotic substances.
Considering that one of the typical methods of drug dealing occurs with the use of bicycles which, thanks to travel, allow one to more easily evade controls or not have to hide large quantities in ravines of the district itself, the plainclothes policemen of the police station they stopped a young man of Malian nationality on via Di Prima, riding a bike.
He appeared agitated from the start and, during the search inside the pouch for identity documents, numerous banknotes appeared, all of small denominations, later quantified at 357 euros.
Unable to provide a plausible explanation regarding the possession of the large sum of money, the operators decided to proceed with a personal search which allowed them to find an envelope containing 12 foil packs, each with doses of marijuana inside, weighing 12 grams in total.
Accompanied to the offices of the Scientific Police for identification and then to the police station, after the ritual tasks, the young man, who is legal in the national territory, was reported in a state of freedom for possession of a narcotic substance for the purpose of dealing.
During Monday evening, however, still within the San Berillo district, precisely in via Pistone, thanks to the scent of the dog Maui belonging to the UPGSP Canine Unit, an envelope was found, hidden in a ravine in the inside a disused room, containing marijuana, for a total of 120 grams, seized from unknown persons, together with packaging material and a precision scale.
Furthermore, in nearby Via Carro, another envelope was found inside a dumpster, again with the help of the dog unit, seized from unknown persons, containing 60 grams of marijuana. Afterwards the officers checked a young foreigner found in possession of a small quantity of marijuana, which was administratively seized, resulting in a dispute regarding personal use.
In the streets around the district, precisely in via Sturzo and via Di Prima, the presence of crews from the Crime Prevention Department and the Local Police, engaged in checkpoints, made it possible to check a total of 210 people, 105 vehicles and to raise 7 infringements of the Code of the Road, for driving a moped without ever having obtained a license and without insurance coverage, driving a moped without wearing a helmet, driving a car without having carried out the required inspection and driving without a registration document in tow.
Finally, again during the service, a kiosk bar which is also a gaming and betting room was checked, in which several individuals with criminal records were identified among the customers and one of them was accused of personal use of substances amazing, as provided for by the relevant Consolidated Law.
