Catania: Drug dealer caught inside Bellini villa, 34-year-old repeat offender arrested

According to the guidelines of the Provincial Carabinieri Command of Catania, within the framework of the constant fight against drug dealing and use, a phenomenon that represents one of the main sources of income for organized crime, controls have been intensified throughout the province of Etna, also involving the famous Villa Bellini in Catania. Surveillance within the park aims to ensure that the green area is usable for moments of relaxation and leisure, allowing citizens and tourists to peacefully enjoy the public greenery in complete safety.

It is precisely in this context that the Carabinieri of the Piazza Dante Station they arrested a 34-year-old from Catania, with a criminal record for possession and dealing of narcotics, accused of possession for the purpose of dealing of narcotics. In particular, during a patrol service along the paths of the large public garden, the Carabinieri patrol spotted a man who, at the sight of the approaching service car, tried to quickly move away.

This behavior immediately made the Carabinieri suspect an attempt to avoid a check. The crew immediately reached the individual, who, from the first moments of identification, He showed clear signs of agitation, stammering his answers to the soldiers' questions while trying, at the same time, to keep the backpack he had on his shoulder as hidden as possible. The investigators then decided to search both the man and the backpack where inside they found a plastic bag containing marijuana, weighing approximately 4 gr. The military, however, certain that the pusher could have had something else in the house, they decided to further investigate his home as well.

Once they got home, they started a further search which had a positive outcome, in fact, on a desk at the entrance, the investigators found a small plastic bag containing hashish weighing almost 3 grams, numerous small plastic bags with hermetic seals and other material for packaging the substance, including a precision scale. Going deeper into the control, lastly, Furthermore, in the kitchen, inside the freezer, a glass jar was found containing a transparent vacuum-packed plastic bag with a narcotic substance of the DMT type, weighing approximately 45 g from which approximately 45 doses could be obtained.

DMT “N,N-Dimethyltryptamine” is a potent, short-acting hallucinogenic substance that causes intense psychoactive effects, altering the perception of time and space. This substance can induce states of confusion, agitation and altered sensory perceptions, and carries significant risks for mental health. The market value of DMT is around €100 per gram.

Considering the value of the other substances found, the entire quantity of drugs could have fetched around €4.500 on the black market. The 34-year-old was declared under arrest for possession of narcotics with intent to sell and, therefore, made available to the Judicial Authority which validated the provision by requiring him to report to the Judicial Police.