Rome – A 59-year-old inmate has died of a drug overdose at the Rebibbia women's prison in Rome. Another inmate was hospitalized in serious condition. The incident, which occurred in the past few hours, refocuses attention on an emergency that the Penitentiary Police Union has long denounced: the uncontrolled spread of narcotics in Italian prisons.
Aldo Di Giacomo, secretary of the Penitentiary Police Union, has no doubts: "This is yet another case of drug trafficking, with two deaths in San Vittore prison in Milan and three people hospitalized in serious condition in the last few months of the year alone. Another death has occurred in the men's ward of Rebibbia prison, one in Sassari, one in Gorizia, one in Reggio Emilia, and one in Florence." A war bulletin describing a situation spiraling out of control.
During 2024, seizures in prisons totaled 65 kg of narcotics of all types. But the quantity doesn't tell the whole story. "Even though it's more recent, the entry of 'Blue Punisher' and other types of pills into cells is very dangerous," warns Di Giacomo.
The prison drug market has undergone a veritable evolution: crushed or snorted drug tablets (Orudis 200, Contramal, Stinox, Lentomil—drugs given for therapy—and even paracetamol), morphine patches, stamps with glue derived from narcotics. These increasingly sophisticated methods are difficult for prison staff to recognize and counter.
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Organized crime is behind this trafficking. "Organized crime is always the one doing business around drug trafficking and use, controlling, as numerous investigations demonstrate, the largest drug dealing centers inside and outside with the use of cell phones," explains Di Giacomo.
The union secretary speaks openly of "Mafia 2.0," a phenomenon that can't be addressed by hiring a few dozen prison officers, a move that has been widely publicized in recent weeks. "They remain insufficient because they barely manage to replace the positions of retired officers, and not in all institutions."
The criticism is directed at the prison administration, the government, and politicians. "They prefer to act like the 'three monkeys' (see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil)," Di Giacomo accuses.
In this situation, "it is even more irresponsible to deny the evidence and chant that 'everything is fine,' while state employees feel abandoned and humiliated by an employer who should be deeply grateful for their sacrifice." The union has announced a fight: "We won't allow it."
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
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