Over thirty arrests for drugs along the Via Emilia, a crossroads of legal and illicit activities. Operation ‘Last’ came into full swing between Monday and yesterday, leading to the execution of 38 precautionary measures (20 in prison, 16 under house arrest and 2 with mandatory signature) in the provinces of Piacenza, Parma, Reggio, Modena and Ravenna . Between drug trafficking and possession of weapons, as well as aiding and abetting illegal immigration, the nerve center of this fervent activity was here, in particular in the former Reggiane.
First the ‘Exit’ operation on drug trafficking where the Innovation Hub now stands, then the ‘Rexit’ and ‘Trexit’ operation, up to ‘Piazzale Pulito’ and the clearance of the former Officine in September 2021. The investigations did not they stopped and today, say the investigators, the circle closes.
“I hope that having brought these individuals to justice will relieve congestion in certain areas of the city from the pressure of crime” states the police commissioner of Reggio, Giuseppe Maggese. Among those under investigation are Italian, Albanian, Nigerian, Tunisian and Moroccan citizens; three of them are women, companions of others arrested, and in two cases they are owners of businesses in Reggio Emilia who disguised their under-the-counter drug dealing activity. An international arrest warrant has been issued for some, while others are from Campania and the interceptions have revealed their regular contacts with the Abbinante clan, linked to the Camorra.
During the investigations, which began in August 2021, another 22 arrests were made in flagrante delicto and another 40 thousand euros in cash, 4 firearms and over 11 kilos of drugs were seized, of which over 7 kilos of cocaine and 3 of hashish. A real drug storage system had developed in the city which was then redistributed between Northern Italy and Campania. One of the Italians arrested had two bases, with the function of a warehouse, between Reggio and the ceramics area of Modena: the investigations of the Reggio Emilia police were intertwined with those of the DDA of Naples, and repeated contacts between the latter and the Camorra provided precious details also on some mafia fugitives who are now abroad.
