Anacapri - A 19-year-old local man, already known to law enforcement, was arrested for armed poaching in the green heart of Monte Solaro.
It was just after afternoon when the Carabinieri of the local station, engaged in a routine patrol in the wooded areas of Monte Solaro – a protected natural oasis, a crossroads of hiking trails and a refuge for rare species such as the peregrine falcon and the Apennine roe deer – stumbled upon a suspicious figure.
Lorenzo Van Der Host, 19, a native of this very village suspended between sky and sea, holds a hunting rifle as if it were an extension of his arm. Not just any weapon: a 12-gauge double-barrelled shotgun, with the serial number artfully erased, an illegal "ghost" that screams tales of black markets and premeditated transgressions. The young man, with the look of a caught predator, doesn't think twice: he flees.
Among brambles and Mediterranean scrub, a labyrinth of holm oaks and strawberry trees that guards the island's secrets, Van Der Host tries to outrun the military. But the Carabinieri, trained to navigate these rugged terrains, they do not let go.
A tense chase, leaping over rocks and darting through bushes, ends with a dead stop: the 19-year-old, panting and with no way out, surrenders voluntarily. "Here, take it," he mutters, handing the gun to his pursuers, in a gesture that smacks of resignation and youthful bravado.
This isn't Van Der Host's first appearance in investigative files. Already known to law enforcement for minor criminal records—thefts and vandalism that had earned him several formal warnings—this time the young man has hit rock bottom. He faces charges of poaching, a crime that here, in the Capri Regional Park, takes on dramatic environmental implications: the island, a jewel in the Gulf of Naples with its 10 square kilometers of tourist paradise, has suffered the scourge of poaching for years.
According to data from the State Forestry Corps, in 2024 alone, over 50 illegal rifles were seized in Campania's protected areas, with damage to biodiversity estimated at thousands of euros per illegally killed game animal.
And Mount Solaro, with its 589 meters of altitude and breathtaking views of the Marina Grande bay, is more than just a scenic spot for vacationers: it's a fragile ecosystem, where every shot fired echoes like an open wound. Immediately transferred to Naples Poggioreale Prison, the young man awaits sentencing by the Naples Court.
The investigation, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office, doesn't stop there: investigators are combing through his contacts to uncover any possible accomplices or clandestine arms distribution networks, a phenomenon that, as Legambiente has denounced, is eroding the green roots of Southern Italy.
Changes and revisions to this article
- Article updated on 15/11/2025 at 15:26 - Typo corrected
- Article updated on 15/11/2025 at 15:27 - Typo corrected
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