Two separate precautionary custody orders, issued by the investigating judge of the Foggia court at the request of the prosecutor’s office, were carried out by the Carabinieri of Cerignola against 20 suspects (of which 11 in prison, 4 under house arrest and 5 banned from staying), considered responsible for conspiracy to commit possession for the purpose of dealing narcotic substances.
The Carabinieri investigation was aimed at breaking down the main drug dealing activities in the country. The first investigative activity – started in November 2022 and concluded in January 2023 – made it possible to ascertain that 6 of the suspects who ended up in prison were running a real ‘drug supermarket’ in a place in the city centre. Over 1,300 drug sales documented (with an average of 35 per day). The second investigative activity, started in January 2023, made it possible to gather elements of guilt against 14 suspects (all Italian, of which 5 were placed in prison, 4 were under house arrest and 5 were subjected to a residence ban).
The Carabinieri ascertained the methods of purchase, transport and retail sale of the narcotic substance in the Cerignola hinterland and in other neighboring provinces, documenting the buying and selling of drugs among some suspects, who thus managed to guarantee a constant availability of the narcotic. The setting up of two drug dealing points was found, respectively in the residence of a suspect under house arrest and in an apartment close to the city centre, where 24-hour operations would have been guaranteed. Two other suspects would have carried out home and made-to-order sales.
