Novara, “The white rooster” operation: 9 precautionary measures for cocaine dealing

Novara, following a vast anti-drug operation, the State Police of Novara, in the early hours of this morning, carried out nine precautionary measures, thus putting an end to a flourishing activity of dealing in narcotic substances, of the cocaine type, which saw the provinces of Novara and Vercelli were involved.

In particular, three precautionary detentions in prison were carried out, one precautionary detention under house arrest, four residence obligations, three of which with a ban on leaving at night and one obligation to report to the PG, measures issued by the GIP at the Court of Novara, on request from the local Public Prosecutor's Office.

The investigation activity, conducted by the Flying Squad of Novara, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Novara, began in May 2020, following the flagrant arrest of an Italian subject resident in Novara, found in possession of 90 grams of pure cocaine.

The discreet quantity of narcotics and the excellent quality of the substance attracted the attention of the expert narcotics operators, who immediately understood that the arrested man was certainly part of a broader context. The investigators, therefore, immediately activated a detailed and complex investigation aimed at reconstructing and destroying the alleged drug dealing network.

The intuition found ample confirmation over the course of several months of investigation which, last January, reached its conclusion, highlighting the presence of a consolidated and branched drug dealing activity. The same, at a higher level, was managed by PV, a 29-year-old Italian citizen, active for several years in the sale of cocaine between the provinces of Novara and Vercelli.

PV was in fact the real "dominus" of the drug dealing network, capable of moving up to 1,5 kg of cocaine every month, an activity that allowed him to derive a huge economic profit, quantifiable at around 100 thousand euros, and guarantee a standard of living well above his economic possibilities. The same man, during several wiretaps, even boasted that, in thirty years of "honest" work, he would never have been able to earn even a third of what he obtained, in a very short time, thanks to the sale of cocaine.

PV has demonstrated a strong and clear criminal mentality, directly and meticulously managing the drug dealing activity, using "fine" stratagems aimed at evading and hindering any investigative activities against him, making them particularly complex.

The monitoring of the illicit activity carried out by PV made it possible to identify a large network of subjects dedicated to cocaine dealing, who carried out their illicit business between the provinces of Novara and Vercelli.

Among those under investigation were BL, aged 35, an Italian citizen resident in the province of Novara and FD, aged 31, an Italian citizen resident in the province of Vercelli; the two were able to purchase, each, approximately 100 grams of cocaine every ten/fifteen days, which they resold on their own to a large and consolidated clientele.

The investigation also made it possible to identify further subjects who obtained supplies of narcotic substances from the main suspects, and then managed, in turn, the drug dealing independently; this is the case, for example, of two Italian citizens, a man and a woman, TR aged 31, PG, aged 47, who worked in close synergy with each other, and an Italian citizen MM aged 48, resident in the province of Turin, who purchased large quantities of drugs from BL, and ran an independent cocaine dealing business.

The detailed and complex investigations thus made it possible to put an end to a real "cascade transfer system", which involved numerous people who, given the ease of obtaining easy earnings, purchased the drugs and in turn became drug dealers.

It appears singular, as emerged from the wiretaps, that one of the suspects had found the collaboration of his uncle, aged 72, who, in addition to acting as "custodian" of the narcotic on behalf of his nephew, had started his own independent drug dealing business, despite the age.

The brilliant investigation by the Narcotics Section of the Novara Flying Squad has dealt a very hard blow to the sale of narcotic substances in this province and in the neighboring ones, a criminal phenomenon which, despite the restrictions caused by the ongoing pandemic, would not have stopped without the work of the State Police.

Over 50 agents were employed to carry out the precautionary measures, searches and seizures, with the participation of the staff of the Mobile Squads of Turin, Alessandria, Aosta, Cuneo, Verbania and Vercelli, of the Piedmont Crime Prevention Department as well as the Dog Unit of the Turin Police Headquarters, who are thanked for their availability.