The Carabinieri of the Naples Environmental Protection and Energy Safety Group are executing a precautionary custody order issued by the preliminary investigations judge of the Lecce Court against six people: four have been jailed and two are under house arrest. The provinces involved are Bari, Brindisi, and Salerno in Italy, as well as Sofia in Bulgaria.
The charges include criminal conspiracy for the purpose of illegal waste trafficking, aggravated by transnationality, unauthorized management, and issuing invoices for non-existent transactions.
The Lecce DDA investigation begins in 2024
The operation stems from an investigation by the Lecce District Anti-Mafia Directorate, supported by the Carabinieri of the Lecce National Emergency Operations Unit (NOE). Launched in January 2024 and continuing for months, it involved Bulgaria, Greece, and the province of Brindisi, the source of the waste. Thanks to wiretaps, video footage, and tailing, investigators dismantled a criminal syndicate active in the illegal disposal of non-hazardous special waste.
Waste from Brindisi, destined for Eastern Europe
The group processed waste from a Brindisi plant: industrial waste, textiles, and unsorted fraction. Using intermediary companies, they transported thousands of tons to Bulgarian and Greek companies, assigning false CER codes and forged documentation. The goal was to illegally save money by avoiding legal waste management procedures.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
Waste trafficking is a strange situation; I don't know how it could get to this point. Those involved in these things must be punished. But who knows if the law actually does anything about these crimes?