BISCEGLIE: Thirteen arrests for drug dealing and sale of contraband foreign manufactured tobacco. From the early hours of this morning, 70 carabinieri from the Provincial Command of Barletta-Andria-Trani – supported by the specialized departments of the Helicopter Squadron Carabinieri Cacciatori Puglia, the 6th Carabinieri Helicopter Unit of Bari and the Dog Unit of Modugno, with the collaboration of the Company Carabinieri of Desio (MB), where one of the suspects is located – carried out the precautionary measure in prison, and house arrest against 13 people (4 in prison; 9 under house arrest) believed to be suspected of sale, distribution and marketing of narcotics as well as the import, transport and sale of contraband foreign manufactured tobacco.
The seized material
Today’s operation comes as a result of an investigative activity conducted by the soldiers of the Bisceglie Tenenza, carried out under the direction of the Trani Prosecutor’s Office, resulting from the investigation against two suspects of Albanian nationality – whose position has been removed – from which connections emerged between the aforementioned and some individuals from Bisceglie, the subject of subsequent in-depth investigations which made it possible – through technical and dynamic activities – to acquire an important compendium of evidence against them for the disputed facts.
The investigation made it possible to collect elements regarding the activity of drug dealing – the supply of which took place from Northern Italy – as well as the importation, transport and sale of contraband foreign manufactured tobacco products – which arrived in the Bisceglie port by sea, on board local fishing boats – conducted in that city center by subjects linked together by close relationships of trust – built on assiduous frequenting – and to decipher the peculiar cryptic language used by some of the suspects in telephone conversations .
During the investigation – which continued until last February – three people were arrested by the Carabinieri of the Bisceglie branch in the act of smuggling 1120 kg of foreign manufactured tobacco and numerous further checks were made, proving that the criminal activity continued – without interruption – despite the repressive interventions carried out by the military of the force.
The defendants, according to the accusatory approach accepted by the investigating judge – without prejudice to the assessment in the subsequent trial phases also conducted in light of the contribution of the defense – are considered responsible – in various capacities – for numerous sales of narcotic substances, as well as for the introduction and sale of contraband foreign manufactured tobacco.
Once the formalities had been completed, 4 subjects were associated with the relevant prison, while 9 subjects were subjected to the house arrest regime.
It is important to underline that the proceedings are in the preliminary investigation phase and that – the execution of today’s precautionary measure – will be followed by the preliminary hearing and the confrontation with the defense of the suspects, whose possible guilt, with regard to the contested crimes, will have to be ascertained during the trial in the adversarial process between the parties.
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