Vico del Gargano (Foggia), they hide drugs in fruit and electronic cigarettes: 16 people arrested

The Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Foggia have executed a precautionary custody order, issued by the GIP at the local Court against 16 suspects - of which 15 were sent to prison and 1 to house arrest -, suspected of illicit possession and trafficking of narcotic substances in competition.

The investigations, conducted from July 2023 to January 2024 by the Carabinieri of the Company of Vico del Gargano (Foggia) under the direction from the Public Prosecutor's Office of Foggia, have allowed to document a flourishing trafficking of cocaine, hashish and marijuana in the northern area of ​​the Gargano, in particular in the municipalities of Vico del Gargano and Rodi Garganico.

The narcotic substance, supplied from suppliers in Rodi Garganico (Foggia), San Severo (Foggia), St. Nicander Garganico (Foggia), Foggia and Cerignola (Foggia), it was sold at retail through the adoption of gimmicks aimed at evading any checks by the police forces, also resorting to "itinerant dealing", that is to the custom delivery directly to buyers.

A Vico del Gargano, Furthermore, one of the suspects would have sold the narcotic substance inside his fruit and vegetable shop, which in some cases would have been sold to buyers and hidden among some products on sale at the shop.

During the investigations, ingenious systems used by some suspects to conceal the narcotic were also documented, in some cases hidden in jars under the ground, in others in a metal cylinder near a garage where it was packaged or even transported in doses inside electronic cigarettes.

During the investigative activities, 6 arrests in flagrante delicto and 4 reports were made for possession with intent to sell narcotic substances, as well as 7 users reported to the Prefecture of Foggia and seized in total 2 Kg. cbetween cocaine, hashish and marijuana.