Velletri prison: Penitentiary Police operation dismantles drug trafficking organization in the institution
Brilliant operation carried out by the Penitentiary Police of the Velletri prison, which made it possible to bring to light the hidden mechanisms aimed at drug trafficking within the penitentiary institution.
Yet another result of the Penitentiary Police, always at the forefront in the fight against crime”.
The news was given by Maurizio Somma, secretary for Lazio of the Autonomous Penitentiary Police Union.
“From the investigations, carried out with the collaboration of the prosecutor’s office and the Velletri carabinieri, it emerged that the introduction of drugs into the prison took place through a well-tested system, which consisted in the concealment of narcotic substances, specifically hashish and cocaine , inside the packages sent to the prisoners by their family members, via postal courier.
The investigations concluded with the arrest of 33 people, of which 11 were placed in pre-trial detention in prison and 22 were placed under house arrest.
The Sappe – concludes Somma – congratulates the Velletri Penitentiary Police staff who, despite the many daily critical issues, tirelessly carry out legality within the prison”.
Sappe general secretary Donato Capece highlights that “the problem of the introduction of drugs and telephones into prison has been known for some time and we are well aware of its extent which, nowadays, is truly significant and continues to grow day after day.
In particular, as far as mobile phones are concerned, we are concerned not only with their use for illicit purposes outside prison, as repeatedly found in the investigative activities carried out daily in penitentiaries and throughout the country, but also with the actual trade which is present within the walls where a smartphone given out between prisoners multiplies its value dramatically, becoming a source of huge illicit profits for those who manage to manage the trade”.
The Sappe leader recalls that “since 2020, introducing a mobile phone into prison is a crime punishable by a sentence ranging from one to four years, but the continuous increase in seizures shows that it is not a sufficient deterrent to stem the phenomenon.
In our opinion, concrete interventions are needed aimed at updating the concept of punishment and its execution in today’s times, with today’s technologies and the current penitentiary reality, made up – among other things – of increasingly violent prisoners who ignore the most basic rules of civilization.
It is therefore essential to invest in staff training as well as in individual and departmental equipment, so that the Penitentiary Police is placed in the best conditions to be able to ensure for the State what is perhaps the most important institutional task entrusted to it, that is, guaranteeing order within the prisons. prevention and penal institutions, protecting their safety, for the benefit of the free community”.
Drugs and cell phones to introduce which, in other Italian prisons, drones are also often used, “confirming all the investigative hypotheses regarding the now well-known phenomenon of illicit trafficking by means of drones, a phenomenon also favored by the freedom of movement of prisoners following the open custody regime and the current operational criticalities, in which the penitentiary police operate, with minimum safety levels.
Sappe’s satisfaction goes to the staff of the Velletri penitentiary police department”.
On the merits, Capece informs that territorial organization is underway “a core of prison police officers specialized and expert in the use and management of drones both from a preventive and dissuasive perspective of the phenomena of violation of penitentiary spaces or the introduction of illicit material of any nature.
Furthermore, drones are well suited to the reconnaissance of areas close to a prison and can provide valid help: think, for example, in the case of escapes since they quickly allow you to detect and monitor large spaces without being seen.
Obviously the drone must be accompanied by latest generation tools, for example software capable of using video frames sent to operations centers and, above all, specialized training for staff.”
For this reason the hope of the national leader of SAPPE “is that soon Lazio and Velletri will also be able to have a sufficient number of policemen, adequately prepared, trained and specialized and expert in the use and management of drones both from a preventive and repressive perspective”.
Source tusciaweb
