Naples. Checkmate for the families who ran the smuggling in the city: operation carried out by the Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza with one person ending up in prison, 7 under house arrest, 7 recipients of a ban on residing in the province of Naples, while two were ordered to remain in their homes.
The Provincial Commands of the Guardia di Finanza and the Carabinieri of Naples, at the end of a complex investigative activity coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office, have executed a precautionary measure issued by the GIP of the Court of Naples against 17 people considered seriously suspected of criminal association aimed at smuggling of foreign manufactured tobacco.
Overall they are 67 people were involved in investigative activities and seriously accused, in various capacities, of having constituted and been part of criminal associations active in the commission of crimes related to TLE smuggling coming from Eastern Europe and introduced into Italy to feed the black market in Campania.
Two properties used for the storage of TLEs, worth over 250.000 euros, have already been seized and subsequently confiscated.
Three autonomous family groups were investigated, operating in the city of Naples, in the areas of Porta Nolana, Market Square, Via Sant'Antonio Abate, Forcella District and in the metropolitan area, between Cardito, Frattaminore, Casoria and Melito di Napoli.
These associations, inserted in an intermediate level in the distribution chain of contraband cigarettes, having premises used for clandestine warehouses registered to various front men, they managed the illegal cigarette market by channelling supplies to permanent job dealers (the so-called “stalls”) according to the different flows of demand, dependent on the quality and prices charged.
During the investigations, carried out between the summer of 2015 and 2017, both the properties used for storage (garages, garages, basements, apartments) and the vehicles used for delivering TLE supplies to customers were identified and monitored: generally small-engined cars but capable of concealing up to 3 cases of cigarettes.
MARLBORO, REGINA, ROTHMANS, CHESTERFIELD, MINSK and MARBLE' are among the most popular brands in the thriving contraband market, available at variable prices depending on the different quality and foreign origin, with variations in value even between cigarettes of the same brand.
Overall, it is believed that the criminal organisation has moved around three years 27 tons of contraband cigarettes, corresponding to a market value of 2,7 million euros.
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