Savona: Drug dealing, 22 people between 28 and 77 years old involved

At the end of a'complex and prolonged coordinated investigation from the Public Prosecutor's Office of Savona, about 70 carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Savona and of the Carabinieri Canine Unit of Villanova d'Albenga they executed a precautionary custody order issued by the Preliminary Investigations Judge of the Court of Savona dependent on 5 subjects, of which 3 Italians, 1 Moroccan and 1 Albanian, held responsible for illicit drug trafficking.

For 16 more people, too investigated for possession and dealing of drugs, personal searches have started ordered by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the simultaneous notification of the invitation to be questioned in advance before the Preliminary Investigations Judge, as provided for by the recent Nordio decree, at the end of which the judge will evaluate the possible issuance of a new custody order against them as well.

During today's operations, in addition to the 5 people affected by the restrictive measure of the Judicial Authority, following the searches, 5 other suspects were arrested in flagrante delicto and a further 4 were reported at liberty for possession of drugs for the purpose of dealing, seizing a total of approximately 38 kg of drugs and over a million euros in cash, proceeds of the criminal activity, hidden inside some fake metal pipes created specifically in the garage of the main suspect, who was also seizes a high-powered Mercedes car purchased with the proceeds of the crime.

The investigative activity of the Carabinieri involved a total of 22 people, aged between 28 and 77, resident or domiciled in the province of Savona, all involved in various capacities in a very flourishing and widespread drug dealing activity in the Ligurian territory. The investigation, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Savona and conducted by the Investigative Unit of the local Provincial Command of the Carabinieri, started in November 2023 and has allowed us to document, with various technical and numerous observation services, checks and shadowing, various transfers of different types of narcotics, including over 100 kg of hashish, 35 kg of marijuana, two kg of cocaine, as well as 140 gr. MDMA and 5 gr. Ketamine.

Many of the suspects are young people from Savona who are above suspicion and have no criminal record, the drugs were destined for the drug dealing areas of the province of Savona and to some nightclubbers on the Riviera. Furthermore, the complex activity carried out by the Carabinieri allowed them to identify two main channels for the supply of narcotics, one managed by Moroccan citizens and one by Albanian citizens.

The method of delivery of the drug by two of the main suspects, former managers of a martial arts gym and owners of a shop specializing in the sale of pet products, was particularly ingenious. of Albenga, who hid it inside dog and cat food packages, to then sell it to buyers and dealers both at the shop and in the gym, or took it directly to their homes, with an overall illicit profit of over one million euros, seized today.

Also during the investigation, last March a test was carried out the arrest in flagrante delicto of a 32-year-old from Albenga, stopped in his car and found in possession of 3 kg of hashish and 1 kg of marijuana, drugs purchased shortly before at the pet food store, young man immediately tried and sentenced to two years and six months in prison. Today's operation confirms the constant commitment of the Arma in preventing and combating the phenomenon of drug dealing to guarantee public order and safety, especially for the protection of young people and the most vulnerable.