During 2025, environmental crimes reported in the so-called Land of Fires increased by 50 percent. This data emerges from the annual report of the Campania Carabinieri Forestry Corps, presented in Naples by General Ciro Lungo during a press conference dedicated to the fight against toxic fires.
According to the regional commander, the increase in reports is linked both to increased surveillance and to improved investigative techniques in the area.
Checks on 199 sites and dozens of seizures
The Carabinieri Forestry Corps' operations were part of a joint effort promoted by the Prefectures of Naples and Caserta, based on a single Control Room and support for the territorial force.
Specifically, 199 sites were inspected in 2025, with 114 businesses and 49 vehicles seized. The measures targeted workshops, body shops, carpentry shops, and textile factories found to lack the necessary environmental permits and to lack waste tracking systems.
Arrests for illegal burnings thanks to new rules
Fourteen people have been arrested in flagrante delicto for illegal waste burning, thanks to the changes introduced by Legislative Decree 116/2025 to the Code of Criminal Procedure, which strengthened the tools for combating fires.
Among the reported cases, that of a man from Caivano caught burning approximately 25 bags of textile waste abandoned along the road in the Regi Lagni area, an episode documented by surveillance cameras.
Mini cameras to prevent spills and abandonments
The Carabinieri Forestry Corps is also increasingly systematically combating illegal dumping, using mini-cameras. Investigations have identified and prosecuted those responsible for repeated waste dumping at sites already remediated by the Commissioner for Contaminated Areas in the provinces of Naples and Caserta. Several of the perpetrators have also had their driving licenses revoked.
Nearly a thousand crimes and fines totaling over 950 thousand euros
Overall, 893 cases of illegal waste management were reported in 2025, with 514 seizures. The total amount of administrative fines reported was €959.748, confirming the extent of a still-entrenched phenomenon and the centrality of local enforcement action.
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Comments (2)
I don't understand how it's possible that so many environmental crimes still occur despite the controls. Perhaps we need stricter laws and stronger punishments for those who break the rules.
The increase in environmental crimes in 2025 is a worrying figure. It's important to intensify enforcement, but we also need to understand the causes of this phenomenon to address it more effectively and sustainably.