Foggia – The Carabinieri of the Foggia Provincial Command have dealt a heavy blow to crime by arresting eight people accused of being part of an organization dedicated to aggravated thefts with explosives against ATMs in various Italian regions.
The operation is the result of a complex investigation launched in December 2023 which allowed to reconstruct the activity of the gang, responsible for at least 80 robberies between the end of 2023 and the summer of 2024, with an estimated loot of around 290.000 euros.
The investigations revealed the existence of a criminal organization with an operational base in the province of Foggia, specialized in the assault on credit institutions, banks and post offices throughout the country. For their robberies, the gang used homemade devices known as "marmotte", explosives comparable to weapons of war, used to force open the safes of automatic teller machines.
The use of explosive “marmots”
The group's modus operandi was well structured: they used high-powered cars, stolen or with cloned license plates, and prepaid credit cards registered to foreigners, provided by one of the suspects, to tamper with ATMs and allow the introduction of the "marmots".
The organization could count on figures specialized in the manufacture of the devices and with in-depth knowledge of the mechanisms of the ATMs, in addition to a meticulous planning that included the division of roles between drivers, lookouts, couriers and executors, paid according to a pre-established price list. The stolen money, often stained by the ATM security systems, was then laundered.
An important contribution to the investigation came from the Avellino police force which, already in October, had stopped two Foggia members of the gang in Greci, reporting them for receiving stolen goods.
The searches carried out at the same time as the arrests led to the seizure of numerous identity documents, rechargeable credit cards, banknotes (some stained or presumably subjected to stain removal treatments), ammunition of various calibers, cars, license plates, explosive material and valuable watches.
Four strikes also in the province of Avellino
In particular, evidence was collected for 17 assaults, carried out between July and September 2024 in the provinces of Foggia, Bari, Avellino, Potenza, Turin, Pavia and Milan, which would have brought in around 290.000 euros. However, it is estimated that the gang carried out over 80 robberies starting from 2023, distributed in various Italian regions, including Puglia, Piedmont, Campania, Lombardy and Basilicata.
Article published on 20 December 2024 - 19:28
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I read the article and it seems to me that the crime situation in Italy is very serious. The Carabinieri have done a good job arresting these criminals, but there should be more security in ATMs to prevent thefts like this.