Castel Volturno - Bulldozers are tearing up the turf of Castel Volturno's golf courses. It's not a makeover, but a hunt for the black gold of illegal waste disposal. An investigation that resurfaces from the past, following the dirty thread of a conversation in the car.
For weeks, under the coordination of the Santa Maria Capua Vetere Public Prosecutor's Office and the supervision of the Carabinieri, excavations have been drilling into the grounds of the former Villaggio Coppola, the residential and sports complex built by entrepreneur Cristoforo Coppola—already known for his infamous illegal towers, later demolished. The goal is to uncover a buried truth. And perhaps, truly buried.
It all stems from a 2018 wiretap, uncovered in the investigation into the Pineta Grande clinic. In that recording, a suspect, speaking with another suspect, boasted about his ability to influence the City Council. And to prove it, he pulled out a "repertoire" memory: 1990.
That year, during construction of those very golf courses, hazardous waste had already been discovered. This presented a problem for entrepreneur Coppola. The solution, according to the suspect, was straightforward: a bribe of one and a half million lire to the then commander of the Castel Volturno Coast Guard. The waste disappeared. And with it, the evidence of the criminal proceedings.
Today, 36 years later, those words have been confirmed. The mechanical shovels have returned to the same spot, to "assess the environmental situation." So far, ferrous waste has been uncovered. But the real stakes are different: discovering whether that ancient criminal arrogance had any real foundation, whether beneath the impeccable green of the fairways a tainted secret has lain for decades.
A story intertwined with eco-mafias, contracts, resorts, and cover-ups. A tango between unscrupulous businessmen and complacent officials, whose final, slow steps are being marked by the bulldozers' buckets.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
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