Reggio Calabria, “Mother Nature” operation: 90 complaints and 5 arrests for illegal waste disposal
Reggio Calabria, in the early hours of dawn, in the provinces of Reggio Calabria, Mantua and Ravenna, at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Ordinary Court of Palmi, the Carabinieri of the Gioia Tauro Company executed 26 preventive seizure decrees, issued by the Judge for Preliminary Investigations of the Court of Palmi, towards as many vehicles and vehicles used for the illicit dumping of waste.
Today's provision arises from one targeted investigative activity conducted by the Carabinieri Station of Gioia Tauro, under the direction of the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Palmi, conventionally called "Mother Nature", undertaken starting from 2019 and which has had implications up to today.
The operation was born with the aim of curbing the phenomenon of the illicit disposal of waste, both dangerous and non-hazardous, including asbestos, worn tyres, plastic material and waste from construction activities, paints and other waste which, in recent years, had become transformed the neighborhood in Contrada Ciambra and Via Asmara di Gioia Tauro into real open-air landfills, profoundly disfiguring the environment and undermining the safety and public health of residents, especially following episodes of arson of various materials occurred over the years, some of them discovered as part of the Mother Nature investigation.
The investigations made it possible to ascertain the existence of real open-air landfills, where waste of all types was dumped by private citizens, as a practice now consolidated over time.
Another phenomenon monitored by investigators in the investigative phases was that of arson, set on piles of waste by individuals who, without any scruple, also with the aim of clearing the streets of waste, started the flames which spread within a short time. between the different clusters, also involving the surrounding vegetation.
Only thanks to the timely intervention of the Fire Brigade in the various fire episodes, promptly alerted by the personnel conducting the investigations, were worse consequences and environmental disasters averted, considering the extent and type of waste present.
Furthermore, the men of the force also ascertained an innumerable series of illicit conduct for which they were released into a state of freedom no. 90 subjects responsible in various capacities for violations of the Environmental Code, such as unauthorized waste management activities and violation of seals relating to the areas subject to seizure.
During the investigations, the soldiers of the Gioia Tauro station also implemented a precautionary measure application measure against n. 5 subjects held responsible in various capacities for the crimes of illicit combustion of waste, fire and escape, the latter in the case of a subject who had purposely escaped from house arrest to which he was restricted, to set fire to the piles of rubbish.
Today's operation with the execution of preventive seizure decrees against the owners and users of vehicles used to dispose of waste is therefore the epilogue of complex investigations, conducted by the Carabinieri Station of Gioia Tauro, under the constant coordination of the Public Prosecutor's Office Republic of Palmi, and thus allows the owners to be prevented from using the vehicles used for illicit waste dumping and other violations of the Environmental Code.
This operational result comes a few weeks after the last preventive seizure, also carried out on the initiative of the Carabinieri Station of Gioia Tauro, of the 4 vast municipal areas where there were still numerous piles of waste of all types (car carcasses, household appliances and special waste, such as used oils and fuels), one of which has already been reclaimed.
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