In the early hours of the morning in the provinces of Cagliari, Nuoro, Oristano, Sassari, Rome, Pisa, Biella, Vicenza, and Macerata, at the conclusion of a complex and detailed investigative activity conducted by the military of the Carabinieri Company of Carbonia, under the direction of the Anti-Mafia District Directorate of Cagliari, the Carabinieri from the Provincial Command of Cagliari have concluded a vast judicial police operation, conventionally called"Term", which led to the execution of 71 measures issued at the request of the Cagliari District Anti-Mafia Directorate as part of criminal proceedings no. 8258/20 DDA.

The activity saw the employment of over four hundred Carabinieri in a complex simultaneous intervention, which involved different Italian regions through the cooperation of the territorially competent departments, the “Cacciatori Sardegna” Helicopter Squadron, the Carabinieri Canine Units of Sardinia and the 11th Helicopter Unit of Cagliari.

The provision has established the Pre-trial detention in prison for 50 suspects, house arrest for 9, the obligation to remain in a place of residence for 2 and a ban on residing for 1.

They were carried out at the same time numerous local and house searches, delegated by the Judicial Authority and developed on the initiative, aimed at search for narcotics, firearms and goods of illicit origin, as well as notified 9 invitations to be questioned preliminary to the evaluation of further positions in compliance with the provisions of the recent “Nordio” legislation.

The people involved, Italian and foreign citizens – many of whom are already known to the police – are under investigation, in various capacities, for the Allegations of criminal conspiracy aimed at drug trafficking, possession and sale of drugs in concert, and illegal possession and carrying of firearms.

The investigations, started by the Cagliari Public Prosecutor's Office in January 2022 and continued until May 2024, allowed the Operational Unit of the Carbonia Company to acquire serious evidence regarding theexistence of two distinct criminal organizations rooted in Sardinia, closely linked to Albanian criminal circles operating in Tuscany and Veneto.

According to the hypotheses currently formulated, the first consortium, of a structured and top-down nature, dealt with the procurement of narcotics, particularly cocaine and heroin, in the national territory and its distribution in Sardinia.

La second, defined “instrumental”, it would be made up of professional truck drivers responsible for transporting drug loads received from Albanian suppliers and to provide cash payment for the purchase of subsequent shipments. The narcotic substance, appropriately concealed on the trucks, using complex mechanical systems such as double bottoms, It would thus have been safely transported across the national territory and in some circumstances even to neighbouring foreign countries.

During the investigation activity, which continued for over two years, Were Nine individuals caught in the act have already been brought to justice and 88 kilograms of cocaine, 7 kilograms of heroin and 370.900 euros have been seized. in cash, resources that would have further fueled the drug trafficking circuit.

Of particular note is also the discovery and seizure of various weapons, some of which were classified as "war weapons", such as a "PanzerFaust" model grenade launcher, an RPG grenade and an Uzi submachine gun, which can be used in the execution of structured criminal operations such as the robbery of cash-in-transit vans, where the use of heavy weapons has always been documented for roadblocks, blocking vehicles, and to quickly gain one or more escape routes.

A further and significant investigative development then flows into today's circumstantial framework, thanks to which theThe alleged perpetrators of the kidnapping that took place in Sant'Anna Arresi on April 3, 2023, have been identified.

The “Termine” operation constitutes a particularly significant result in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, confirming the high investigative and operational capacity of the Cagliari District Directorate and the Carabinieri.

The commitment of the military, developed with professionalism and a sense of duty, has dealt a heavy blow to what, on the basis of the evidence acquired so far, appears to be a criminal network extending across several regions, contributing to to protect the community and strengthen legality in the territories concerned.