Land of Fires on Vesuvius: 14 companies seized and 13 reported

An extraordinary land control operation in the municipality of Ercolano, ordered by Gerlando Iorio, the Campania region's fire control officer, was conducted. In the field, 36 crews, for a total of approximately 90 units belonging to the "Campania" group of the Italian Army, the Portici-Ercolano State Police Station, the Carabinieri Company and Carabinieri Station Park of Torre del Greco, the Portici Company Command of the Guardia di Finanza, the Naval Air Operations Department of the Guardia di Finanza of Naples, as well as officials from Arpac, the ASL Napoli 3 Sud Area Nord, the Labor Inspectorate, the Local Police Command of Ercolano and the Metropolitan Police. In order to verify compliance with environmental regulations, checks were carried out at 15 business and commercial activities in the area and a targeted joint patrol service was implemented. 14 companies were seized, 44 people were identified, 13 of whom were reported to the Judicial Authorities. As part of the territorial control services, 13 trucks were stopped, six of which were fined under the Highway Code. Approximately 250 tons of material were seized, mostly textile and footwear, and administrative violations for approximately 110.000 euros were contested. The seized material, in addition to fueling illegal trade and the illicit cycle of used waste, was inevitably destined to increase the phenomenon of abandonment and malicious burning of waste. In particular, in via dello Spacco and via Fosso Grande, inside the Vesuvius National Park, five companies dedicated to the recovery, treatment and marketing of used clothing were seized for unauthorized disposal of waste and processing scraps. The entire area is approximately 20.000 m5.000, of which approximately XNUMX mXNUMX are warehouses. At the same time, five operating machines, ten baling presses and four electronic scales were seized. Eleven employees worked “under the table”. Violations of workplace safety regulations were also contested and the owners of the five companies were reported. In via Luigi Palmieri and via Trentola, still in the Vesuvius National Park, seven more companies were seized, including five operating in the textile sector, one in the earthmoving sector and the other in carpentry activities, all without the required authorisations. The perpetrators were reported for illegal waste disposal. Inside one of the companies, approximately 250 items of counterfeit clothing were also found, reproducing logos of well-known sports brands and the owner was reported for production and trade of counterfeit items. This significant activity, still ongoing, stems from the operational method of contrast promoted by the Officer and approved by the Provincial Committees for Public Order and Safety of Naples and Caserta, based on coordinated actions of territorial control in which, together with the Army and the Police Forces, the Local Police also contribute. The results of the investigation will be forwarded to the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office.