Major drug bust in Puglia: 17 kilos of cocaine and weapons seized, and two traffickers arrested.

An brilliant anti-drug operation completed by State Police with the coordination of Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Bari, has allowed to inflict a heavy blow to drug trafficking in Puglia, bringing to the arrest of two people (a 40 year old citizen with a criminal record of Albanian origins and a woman born in '73) and seizure of a large quantity of cocaine, weapons and packaging tools.

The investigators of Lecce Flying Squad, who had been engaged in observation and tailing activities for some time, intercepted a suspicious vehicle which, according to information gathered, was supposed to be transporting drugs destined for the Lecce market.

The control, carried out along the SS 613 near Lecce, has allowed us to discover the presence of handcrafted double bottoms with mechanical opening, carefully crafted under the front seats, a clear sign of a organized system of transportation of illicit substances.

The investigations were thus extended to ahouse and a garage in Altamura, place of residence of the arrested, where the officers, with the support of the Mobile Squad of Bari and Public Safety Police Station of Gravina di Puglia, they found a large quantity of narcotics.

Overall, they were seized over 17 kilos and 400 grams of cocaine, packaged in vacuum-packed blocks and bags, as well as a 9x19 caliber semi-automatic pistol with magazines and ammunitionDuring the searches, the following were also recovered: drug packaging tools, among which a metal press, a vacuum machine and numerous packaging materials.

According to initial estimates, the seized substance, once placed on the market, could have bring in several million euros, fueling drug dealing centers throughout the region. Those arrested were transferred to the appropriate penitentiary institutions, while the drugs, weapons, and cars modified with double bottoms were subjected to judicial seizure.

The operation, conducted by the Lecce Flying Squad with the support of the Police Station of Gravina in Puglia and Mobile Squad of Bari, represents a further sign of the constant attention of the State Police in the fight against drug trafficking, confirming the commitment to combating the drug phenomenon, to protect public health and safety.