Over the course of last night, following a complex and delicate anti-drug investigation activity conducted by the State Police and coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Foggia, 43 subjects were arrested, held responsible for the crime of detention for the purpose of drug dealing. of narcotic substances. About 300 men employed in the maxi operation in which, in addition to the agents of the Mobile Squad of the Foggia Police Headquarters and the Central Operations Service of the Central Anti-Crime Directorate of the Department of Public Security, also dozens of patrols of the Crime Prevention Department, some units Drug dogs, the Scientific Police and the Flight Department of Bari.
The suspects are held responsible for the crimes pursuant to art. 73 DPR 309/90, for having sold or held - without the authorization referred to in art. 17- narcotic substance such as hashish, marijuana, cocaine and heroin, in some cases with the aggravating circumstance of having sold in the vicinity of schools of different types and levels.
During the investigation activities, conducted by the Central Operations Service and the Mobile Squad of Foggia, with the contribution of the Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Services, the incessant and continuous activity of illicit drug trafficking was ascertained, managed with a organization similar to lawful commercial activities and operating in the 13 shopping squares identified in the various popular districts of the municipality of San Severo (FG): some of them were built inside homes, often occupied even by children under the age of 10 in front of which various drug dealing behaviors have taken place, while others have been organized into real illegal coffee shops, in which drug addicts have the opportunity to consume the narcotic substance purchased from time to time.
In particular, several drug dealing squares have been identified in the well-known neighborhood with a high criminal density called "San Bernardino", others in the popular neighborhoods "Fort Apache" and "Texas".
Already during the first investigative phases, through the traditional investigative activities such as video capture, shadowing and feedback carried out by the policemen of the Mobile Squad, it was possible to highlight how some degraded urban areas of the Municipality of San Severo, composed of an agglomeration of buildings popular and unauthorized artifacts, surrounded by a network of streets and streets not easily accessible, have become the reference point for numerous drug addicts, some even non-local, who go to that area, at any time of day, on foot and / or with vehicles, to purchase the narcotic substance from the pusher on duty.
To acquire circumstantial elements against the numerous pushers who carry out the illegal trading activity, in consideration of the logistical and environmental conditions and, in particular, of the structural conformation of the popular "San Bernardino" district, consisting of a maze of roads difficult to access to Police operators and only partially attacked by technical means of the video-surveillance type, the judicial authorities positively assessed the opportunity to proceed with a special undercover operation. The operation, called "Troy", follows other conduct by the State Police in the territory of San Severo against the sale of drugs, where the drug market is particularly flourishing and profitable, constituting one of the favorite activities of the drug dealer. local crime. During the activity, an estimate was made regarding the average takings of one of the shopping centers in focus, not less than two hundred thousand euros per month, with over 200 sales of narcotic substances per day.
The investigations began last year and made it possible to acquire crucial circumstantial elements against the suspects, many of whom are also linked by close family ties, demonstrating the strong operational capacity of the shopping centers in question, as well as their ability to find and sell large quantities of illicit substance of various types.
The various "rooms" of the shop and / or coffee shop identified, whose premises have been subjected to preventive seizure, are totally abusive, some with armored doors, double security accesses and H24 video surveillance systems with the presence of "lookouts" and stoves lit inside, to burn the narcotic substance in the event of sudden checks by the police, with a serious risk to public safety.
A large clientele, also coming from outside the city, addressed them to supply themselves mainly with cocaine, allowing the current suspects to achieve a high turnover that constituted one of their main sources of livelihood, being people without stable employment.
In the course of the Judicial Police activity aimed at the execution of the measures, and in particular during the search of one of the drug dealing "rooms", 4 people were caught in the act of crime, one of whom was already a recipient of the provision, drawn under arrest for detention for the purpose of drug dealing.
The targeted searches also made it possible to arrest a woman in flagrant arrest, linked by family ties with one of the recipients of the provision, for possession of a weapon with abraded registration number and to find, with consequent seizure of unknown persons, a further pistol for which investigations are underway in order to identify the perpetrators of the criminal offense.
Finally, the overall activity made it possible to seize a car, in addition to 20.000 euros in banknotes of different denominations, deemed to be in the state, proceeds from the drug dealing activity by the suspects
At the moment those arrested today, taken to prison pending validation by the Judicial Authority, due to the presumption of innocence, are being investigated and their possible guilt will be decided in the cross-examination between the parties before the Judicial Authority with the forms and the guarantees provided by law.