Pre-trial detention order against 18 people under investigation, in various capacities, for criminal association aimed at trafficking and illicit possession of narcotic substances for the purpose of dealing, personal injury aggravated, attempted andextortion, receiving stolen goods, illegal possession of weapons, with the aggravating circumstance of mafia methods.

This morning, September 30, 2025, in the province of Lecce and, in particular, in municipalities of Racale, Alliste, Taviano, Melissano and Gallipoli, as well as at the Lecce prison, the Carabinieri of the Lecce Provincial Command have carried out a large-scale operation against acriminal organization rooted in lower Salento.

The intervention mobilized 110 military, supported by the territorial commands, by the “Puglia” Helicopter Hunter Squadron, by the Bari Canine Unit and by the military of the 11th “Puglia” Regiment.

By order of the Judge for Preliminary Investigations of the Court of Lecce, at the request of the District Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office, precautionary measures have been carried out against 18 people, 16 in prison and one under house arrest, out of a total of 33 under investigation.

The arrested they are seriously suspected of criminal association aimed at trafficking and possession of narcotics, aggravated assault, attempted extortion, receiving stolen goods and illegal possession of weapons, with the aggravating factor of the mafia method.

It all starts in March 2022, when a 22-year-old from Taviano was lured into a trap under the pretext of a clarifying meeting. Inside a house, there were no words waiting for him, but punches and threats: he is brutally beaten and forced to hand over 700 €, the price of a drug debt. His captors forced him to drive his own car, with two of them aboard, to retrieve the money from his home. When he got out of the car, they even took the keys, preventing him from escaping.

What seemed like an isolated crime story soon turns out to be the tip of the iceberg of a branched criminal organization, capable of moving large quantities of drugs and exercising widespread control over the territory, in perfect Sacra Corona Unita style.

The operation, called “Pit Bull”, takes its name from the Pit Bull dogs that guarded the house of one of the associates and who attacked the Carabinieri during an initial search operation, testifying to the dangerousness and aggressiveness of the organization.

For months, the Carabinieri followed the clan's trail, combining wiretaps and wiretaps, shadowing, discreet observations, and even aerial reconnaissance. Patient work revealed a continuous trafficking of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and hashish, sold not only in residential areas but also in the most popular seaside resorts in the area.

At the top of the reorganized criminal gang there is the young scion, 31 year old local, Vito Paolo Vacca, a name that for the lower Salento sounds like a heavy legacy. Nephew of Vito Paolo Troisi, historical head of the clan of the same name, Vacca is considered the natural heir of that fringe of the Sacra Corona Unita which since the 90s has controlled drug trafficking in the area, making use of the intimidating force of the mafia bond as he belonged to the Troisi family and had access to weapons.

Son of the late Angelo Salvatore Vacca, a life sentence for murder, Vito Paolo has took over the reins of the group after his father's death on August 23, 2024, while he was under house arrest for serious cancer. The father's lavish funeral ceremony – celebrated the following day in the church of San Giorgio Martire in Racale, with a golden carriage drawn by four black horses – was a true manifesto of power, evocative of the ostentatious rites that the mafia uses to reaffirm their presence on the territory.

In the organization, a fundamental role was played by the women of the family. Six of them, in fact, all reached by precautionary measures, they managed the drug dealing and storage, controlling supplies, deliveries and accounting. In particular, the spouse of Vito Paolo Vacca She replaced her husband in his absence, personally taking care of distributing the doses, replenishing supplies and managing the illicit proceeds.

The drug, codenamed “hundred” or “stones”, was taken several times a day from safe hiding places, hidden in shopping bags or cartons of wine and detergent to go unnoticed. Once the doses were prepared, The cellophane used for packaging was burned to eliminate any trace of odor and residue.

A proven system that allowed the clan to accumulate huge profits, until today's decisive intervention. In fact, in a wiretap, Vacca speaks of a financial transaction costing approximately €774 which, once placed on the market, would have brought in over €2 million for the organization.

The cost of the operation is impressive: Seven arrests were made, with the seizure of 22 kilos of cocaine, 10 kilos of marijuana, 3,5 kilos of heroin, 9 kilos of hashish, and goods worth approximately €91.000.

The preliminary investigations judge of Lecce considered the investigative elements acquired to be serious, sharing the accusatory approach and therefore issuing theprecautionary custody order which the Provincial Carabinieri Command of Lecce carried out this morning.