Naples – In the city center, just steps from Piazza Mercato, sunset brings not only quiet but also drug dealing time. On Via Savarese, as residents return home, the attention of a Carabinieri patrol focuses on a seemingly ordinary window: always open, with the curtains drawn and a few dishcloths hung out. Behind that window, however, the illicit drug trade was taking place.
The comings and goings in the "low"
According to the police's reconstruction, the business was managed by Veronica Cardillo, 38, a Neapolitan woman with a history of drug trafficking. The case was discovered thanks to a targeted anti-drug operation in the area. The Carabinieri, stationed at the entrance to the street, noticed unusual activity near the residence.
The transfer and the intervention
The decisive moment came when two young women, both in their twenties, approached. After a quick exchange of greetings with the woman, the officers saw a banknote exchanged for a small package.
The intervention was immediate. The three women were arrested, and the search confirmed their suspicions: the two young women had just purchased two bars of hashish, paying 20 euros.
Money and drugs seized
The subsequent search of Cardillo's home yielded a significant find. Inside the "basso," the Carabinieri found €700 in cash, divided into small bills, believed to be the proceeds of drug dealing.
At the conclusion of the operation, Veronica Cardillo was arrested on charges of possession with intent to distribute narcotics. She is now awaiting a summary trial. The two young buyers, however, were reported to the Prefecture as drug users.
Naples, the news seems truly worrying to me, but at the same time, not surprising. The Carabnieri responded promptly, but who thinks such low-level crimes remain uncovered? People must be able to return home without fear. We need more controls and social programs, education and employment, not just repression.
I escaped that area years ago. It's a veritable den of thieves and scum. In Giacomo Savarese, there are construction contractors who, so to speak, have been involved in the criminal system for years.