A Serbian citizen and four Italians were arrested yesterday in Italian waters while they were loading 540 kilograms of cocaine onto a fishing trawler on the open sea, the Guardia di Finanza announced.
The action was carried out by members of the Catania Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza, in cooperation with the Naval Unit from Palermo, the Operational Command of the Naval Unit from Pratica di Mare, with the support of the Central Organized Crime Investigation Service (SCICO).
The GdF announced that this action was the result of targeted preventive measures aimed at monitoring maritime routes in order to detect suspicious and/or illegal activities.
They explain that in this context, a part of the sea between the provinces of Catania and Ragusa was monitored daily, which allowed them to discover the suspicious movement of a fishing boat that, instead of fishing, was involved in taking floating packages from the water.
"With the help of the Guardia di Finanza maritime units, the vessel was intercepted to carry out a detailed inspection. During the inspection of the vessel, 18 packages, each weighing around 30 kilograms, were carefully packed to prevent water penetration and preserve the contents, secured by a series of floats as would avoid sinking... The specific way of packaging and the unusual methods of picking up the package suggested that it was most likely a cargo of narcotics, most likely thrown into the sea from a cargo ship passing that route, all for later pickup and transport to land (so-called ' drop off')", the GdF announced.
They point out that after the opening and analysis of the package, which was carried out by specialized members of the PEF from Catania, the presence of numerous blocks with white powder, which rapid tests showed to be cocaine, was confirmed.
In the announcement, they add that the prosecutor's office was notified of the discovery of a large amount of drugs, and that they seized 540 kilograms of cocaine and a vessel, and arrested four Italians and a citizen of Serbia on the spot:
"They were arrested on the spot on suspicion of having committed a criminal offense - production, trade and possession of prohibited drugs or psychotropic substances... The operation, which was made possible by the constant and synchronized action of the Guardia di Finanza operational units on land and sea, is part of a wider framework daily activities of the Guardia di Finanza in the prevention and fight against all forms of illegal trade. The seizure of such a large amount of drugs prevented the narcotics from flooding the streets, which would have generated enormous revenues of over 100 million euros," said the GdF.
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