Noto: Drug dealing and possession of weapons, 10 people arrested

As part of a broad anti-drug operation called “Baroque White”, State Police officers, on duty at the State Police Station of Noto, together with personnel from the Flying Squad of the Syracuse Police Headquarters, carried out, in the city of Noto, a precautionary custody order, against ten individuals (5 in custody in prison and 5 under house arrest, two of whom are women) all investigated, in various capacities, for the crimes of possession for the purpose of dealing of narcotics, extortion, threats and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. The order was notified to four suspects, already detained for other crimes, in prison. Another person was ordered to remain in his/her home.

The restrictive measure arises from a complex and detailed investigative activity launched in 2023 by the Noto Police Station, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Syracuse, and which developed through technical and traditional investigations whose results allowed to ascertain the flourishing drug dealing activity of the suspects who offered users an assortment of narcotic substances such as cocaine, heroin, hashish and marijuana. The investigations were conducted with numerous investigative observation and shadowing services and they made use of telephone and environmental interceptions and images taken from video surveillance systems that have made it possible to highlight the wide range of narcotic substances put in place by dealers using a property located in the city centre of Noto.

The drug was delivered to the users directly from the balcony of the house by lowering it with a basket and was also purchased on horseback. The doses of the drugs were hidden under the roof tiles of the building in question. During the investigation three weapons were found and subsequently seized: an illegally held 9mm Beretta pistol complete with a magazine filled with 7 rounds which was reported stolen in 2016, a blank-firing pistol and a “pen-pistol” as well as numerous rounds of ammunition of various calibers. The 10 people reached by today's measure are in addition to the other 2 arrested by the State Police on January 21st as part of the same operational scenario.