VENICE – Fourteen arrests for drug dealing in via Piave and in the areas surrounding Mestre.
The Venice Flying Squad carried them out at dawn in execution of a precautionary measure issued by the judge for preliminary investigations of Venice, Maria Rosa Barbieri, at the request of prosecutor Alessia Tavarnesi.
34 INVESTIGATED
The episodes that ended up under accusation date back to 2021. Twelve people of Italian and Albanian nationality ended up in prison, two under house arrest; 20 personal and local search decrees were also carried out on other people: a total of 34 people were under investigation.
“An investigation that began on the street – explained the Venice prosecutor, Bruno Cherchi, illustrating the operation during a press conference – and which in two years has led to the identification, in addition to the retail drug dealers, also of those who was in charge of programming.”
The investigators believe they have gathered numerous evidence, with the identification of the drug supply channels used and the seizure of multiple batches of drugs for a total of over 30 kg of substance. Officers also found weapons.
SOCIAL PHENOMENON
“The high demand for drugs, especially cocaine, is worrying, not only from marginal elements of society: the spread of drugs has become a social phenomenon and this weakens the possibility of police intervention. The repression activity is not sufficient to create a “wall” against drug dealing: other types of initiatives are also needed, which are not the responsibility of the prosecutor’s office”.
The police commissioner of Venice, Gaetano Bonaccorso, also referred to the asset seizure carried out, in particular, against one of the suspects, who was found in possession of assets disproportionate to his income, and therefore considered to be consequent to illicit activity. It is a bar and three cars.
