As of the early hours of this morning, July 1, 2024, approximately 70 Carabinieri of the Provincial Carabinieri Command of Barletta-Andria-Trani – supported by the specialized units of the Puglia Carabinieri Helicopter Squadron, the 6th Carabinieri Helicopter Unit of Bari and the Modugno Dog Unit, as well as with the collaboration of the Carabinieri Company of Desio (MB), where one of the suspects is located – have executed the order of precautionary measure in prison, and house arrest, issued by the GIP of the Court of Trani – at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Trani – against 13 subjects (4 in prison; 9 under house arrest) considered – to varying degrees – to be seriously suspected of the sale, distribution and marketing of narcotics in collaboration with each other, as well as the importation, transportation and sale of contraband foreign manufactured tobacco.
Today’s operation is the result of an investigative activity conducted by the military of the Bisceglie branch, carried out under the direction of the Trani Prosecutor’s Officearising from the investigation of two suspects of Albanian nationality – whose position has been separated – from which connections emerged between the aforementioned and some individuals from Bisceglie, the subject of subsequent investigations which have allowed – through technical and dynamic activities – to acquire an important compendium of circumstantial evidence against them for the contested facts.
The investigation allowed us to collect elements regarding the drug dealing activity – whose supply came from Northern Italy – as well as the importation, transportation and sale of smuggled foreign manufactured tobacco – who arrived in the port of Bisceglie by sea, on board the boats of local fishermen – conducted in that city centre by individuals who were found to be linked by close relationships of trust – built on frequent visits – and to decipher the peculiar cryptic language used by some of the suspects in their 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 carried out, 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 formal procedures were completed, 4 subjects were assigned to the competent District Prison, while 9 subjects were placed under house arrest. 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.
