Naples: 370 tons of waste headed to Türkiye: 32-year-old arrested

I Carabinieri of the Naples Ecological Operations Unit (NOE), during an inspection aimed at verifying the regularity of cross-border shipments, they inspected a load of ferrous scrap, produced by a company from Caivano (NA), destined for a steel mill Turk as material for blast furnace smelting, by ship.

As part of the inspection activity, the military, with the support of personnel from theHarp Campania, they found that the scrap was mixed with solid urban waste and hazardous waste (Including Oil filters, used batteries, wood, rubber, polyurethane, electronic boards, unremediated vehicle parts, bicycle frames, burned elements, metal packaging with oil residues and electrical cables).

The goods were accompanied by false documentation which attested non-existent treatment and recovery activities. In fact, the material was intended for illicit disposal at one Izmir plant (Türkiye), falsely declared as MPS (secondary raw material).

The control was also extended to the company plant, where the Carabinieri have another 250 tons of special waste seized, they too falsely classified as secondary raw materials.

At the end of the operations, which continued until late evening, the legal representative of the company was arrested, 32-year-old from San Giuseppe Vesuviano (NA), held responsible for the illegal shipment of hazardous waste to Turkey. At the same time, the military have four vehicles seized used for the transport of approximately 120 tons of waste already leaving.

This is the First arrest in Italy for the new crime of "illegal waste shipment", pursuant to articles 259 and 259 bis of the Legislative Decree 152/2006, as amended by Legislative Decree 116/2025 of 8 August 2025, which introduced specific penalty increases for environmental crimes.

The arrested man, after the ritual formalities, was placed at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor's Office of North Naples, which has arranged for it presentation before the Preliminary Investigations Judge of the Court of Naples North. The arrest was validated, but the suspect was released.