Montebello Jonico, criminal clan dismantled after attempted murder. Arsenal discovered in a garden.

The Carabinieri of Melito Porto Salvo (RC), with the support of other specialized units, conducted an important operation which led to thearrest of 5 people belonging to the same family. The accusations are very serious: attempted murder, possession and use of weapons of war, drug trafficking and receiving stolen goods.

The investigation, coordinated by the Reggio Calabria Prosecutor's Office under the guidance of Dr. Giuseppe Lombardo, was long and thorough, allowing for the collection of decisive evidence against those arrested.

It all started on October 9, 2024, when a mens resident in Montebello Jonico is arrived at the hospital of Melito Porto Salvo with a gunshot wound to the neckThe severity of the injury required immediate transfer to the intensive care unit of the GOM in Reggio Calabria, where the man was hospitalized.

THEThe alarm raised by the hospital immediately activated the Carabinieri, who initiated the first investigations to reconstruct the dynamics of what happened.

At the crime scene, investigators realized that thethe weapon used was a revolver, because there were no shell casings and the shape of the bullet found in the victim's body. From there began athorough investigation, analyzing the victim's life and contacts to find the culprit.

The investigations, which lasted several months, were carried out using traditional methods and advanced investigative techniques. The investigators collected crucial testimonies, but it was above all the technical activity that proved to be decisive: telephone interceptions and environmental factors have allowed us to outline the criminal and identify the people involved.

The Carabinieri then carried out a series of searches in the homes and in the lands of the investigated. There was particular attention to a garden owned by the mother of the alleged perpetrator of the attempted murder. And that's exactly where they are important clues have emerged.

La garden search led to the discovery of a real war arsenal, hidden with meticulous care. Among the seized weapons are guns and rifles, Including a revolver black in color containing in the 6-shot cylinder, 5 7.65 caliber shots, presumably used to commit the crime, but also an automatic rifle AK-47 Kalashnikov with serial number erased. In addition to this, the Carabinieri found large quantities of munitions, explosives e drug: approximately half a kilo of cocaine, with a market value of 150 thousand euros, 200 grams of TNT hidden in a glass jar and a deadly paper bomb weighing more than a kilo, equipped with a fuse.

The wiretaps revealed that all involved, united by strong family ties, acted as a compact and organized group.

Il  motive for the attempted murder it could be traced back to a debt contracted by the victim for the purchase of drugs. The pre-existing contacts between the victim and the suspects had been frequent and had often occurred via coded messages, with expressions such as “a kiss" or "two basins” to refer to the doses of the drug required.

Despite the evidence collected, the suspects attempted several times to evade investigations fencing say move the weapons e imposing silence on their family members. During the wiretaps, explicit orders were documented given by one of the arrested men to his daughter and brother-in-law so that they would not reveal anything to the investigators, as well as the intention to hide further weapons of war, which at the time had not yet been found by the military.

The operation represents an important State response against organized crimeThe incessant work of the Carabinieri of Melito Porto Salvo has allowed us to dismantling a dangerous criminal network, restoring safety to the territory and confirming the constant commitment of the force in the fight against crime.