They produced Antal quality Indian hemp and then sold it to Italy and France: 45 people investigated and one and a half tons of product seized.
I Financiers of the Provincial Command of Padua, at the conclusion of an investigation directed by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rovigo, have reconstructed the entire commercial chain and the related production, distribution and sales network of the hemp of the "Antal" variety - illegal since the beginning of 2019, as it was deleted from the common catalogue of varieties of agricultural plant species admitted in the European Union, pursuant to art. 17 of Council Directive 2002/53/EC of 13 June 2002 - subjecting to seizure, during multiple interventions carried out throughout the national territory, 1.035 kilos of hemp, 320 kilos of inflorescences of the same plant, 230 kilos of hashish, 45 kilos of seeds, as well as 6.280 plants.
The investigations had been started, as part of the permanent device to combat illicit trafficking, by the military of the Este Company, who, in October 2020, had found the presence of over 6 thousand hemp plants, located in an agricultural land in the Municipality of Pernumia (PD), which was formally used for the cultivation of asparagus by a local agricultural company.
Subsequent chemical-toxicological analyses, carried out with the aim of determining the species of the varieties found there and their relative content of the active ingredient THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), had made it possible to ascertain that a large part of the plantation consisted of the “Antal” variety, the seeds of which are prohibited for free cultivation in Europe, as they generate crops with an extremely unstable THC concentration.
The development of the investigations had allowed the Guardia di Finanza to detect how the entire plantation had been set up for another agricultural company in Padua, without the required authorisations issued by the Ministry of Health, which, in turn, had procured seeds from a reseller in Pisa after the variety in question had been banned from the territory of the European Union, in violation of the provisions of the law on the matter (according to which the use of hemp derivatives - provided they are produced from permitted species - is permitted exclusively for the company's self-production of energy or as fibre for green building or for cosmetics and foods).
Indeed, the company in question also produced its own products and, consequently, introduced the aforementioned illegal variety into the market, marketing it through resellers of hemp inflorescences and derivatives (so-called coffee shops) in Italy and France. Overall, 49 individuals were identified who, in various capacities, were found to be involved in commercial operations relating to the purchase and sale of seeds, plants, plant material (leaves, inflorescences and twigs) and derivative products, all attributable to the narcotic substance “Antal”.
Between December 2020 and April 2021, the Finance Police of the Este Company, carrying out some searches delegated by the Rovigo Prosecutor's Office, seized, in the Provinces of Lodi, Padua, Pisa, Trento and Verona, over a ton of hemp, 45 kilos of seeds, a further 160 plants, as well as 320 kilos of inflorescences and 230 kilos of hashish, the latter ready to be marketed by another company in the Milanese hinterland through e-commerce platforms.
The seized substances, destroyed in an incinerator, would have generated a wholesale turnover of over 3 million euros, an activity that, through retail sales on unauthorized commercial channels, could have generated additional revenue. During the investigations, it was also possible to find sales of 230 kilos of hemp, almost 150 kilos of seeds and over 37.000 plants, which, already released for consumption, allowed the companies involved, in the space of a few months, to obtain an estimated profit of 300 thousand euros. The directors of the companies involved were reported for incitement to crime and/or illicit production, trafficking and possession of narcotic substances.
The service activity under review demonstrates the constant action of the Guardia di Finanza in combating illegal trafficking, such as the distribution and sale of hemp inflorescences and derivative products, which are outside the agro-industrial supply chain permitted by Italian and European law, the consumption of which, under specific conditions (age, presence of concomitant pathologies, pregnancy/breastfeeding, interactions with drugs, effects on the state of attention), can be particularly dangerous for public health and the safety of citizens.
Article published on May 14, 2021 - 12:17 pm
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