Naples: Gold foil and cash found in supermarket parking lot: 31-year-old Ukrainian arrested for money laundering

Naples – A quick, seemingly trivial delivery, but which immediately appeared suspicious to the Carabinieri, like a scene from a spy story. This is what the officers of the Poggioreale Company's Operational Unit documented in the parking lot of a supermarket of San Giovanni a Teduccio.

A 31-year-old Ukrainian man, who was waiting, approached a 36-year-old convicted felon from Portici, receiving a visibly bulging envelope from the latter. The exchange was brief, but it was enough to prompt the intervention of the Carabinieri, who were monitoring the two men's movements.

Inside the envelope, approximately €35 in cash was found, the origin of which is still under investigation. Subsequent searches led to a further, much larger seizure: another €8 in cash and 23 gold sheets were found in the 31-year-old's home, weighing approximately one and a half kilograms and with an estimated street value of around €180.

The 31-year-old was arrested on charges of money laundering and taken to prison. The 36-year-old from Portici was reported at large for the same crime. Investigations are continuing to reconstruct the origin of the seized cash and gold.