Today, 25 June 2024, the Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Messina conducted a vast anti-drug operation in various national and international locations, including Sicily and Calabria. The action led to the arrest of 112 people thanks to precautionary measures issued by the GIP of the Messina Court at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Among those arrested, 85 were sent to precautionary custody in prison, while 27 were placed under house arrest, of which 3 were treated by the Sicily Regional Investigation Unit of the Penitentiary Police.
The charges concern various crimes, including drug trafficking association, self-laundering, fraudulent transfer of valuables, illegal possession of weapons, extortion and other crimes. The investigations were conducted by the Carabinieri Companies of Messina Sud and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Messina. The operations dismantled several criminal organizations active in drug trafficking in Messina, in the Barcelona area and in the Nebroidean and Tyrrhenian areas of the province, with links to criminal groups in Calabria and international activities in Campania, Lombardy and beyond the border.
The operation also led to the seizure of assets worth more than 4 million euros. Further details on the operation will be made known during a press conference scheduled for 10.30 am, which will be chaired by the Prosecutor of the Republic of Messina at the Palace of Justice of Messina, in via Tommaso Cannizzaro.
