Sorrento, the serial courier thief released 48 hours ago, strikes again. Third arrest.

Sorrento. Some habits die hard, and Salvatore Napoli's obsession with delivery vans seems to have become an obsession. For the 42-year-old from Torre Annunziata, the same crime story played out yesterday for the third time, with a chronological precision that left little to the imagination and much to the Carabinieri's efforts. The outcome, however, remained the same: handcuffs and a return to jail.

The return to the scene after freedom

He had been released from prison only two days ago, after serving a sentence for the same crimes. But freedom, for Naples, lasted only a moment. Yesterday afternoon, the man returned to patrol his favorite "hunting ground": Corso Italia, the beating heart of Sorrento, where the constant flow of couriers is constant.

He spotted his target, a delivery driver making a delivery, and waited until the tailgate was unattended. He took just a few seconds to reach into the car and grab a wallet, convinced he'd gotten away with it once again.

A photocopy modus operandi

He hadn't counted on the men of the Sorrento Mobile Radio Unit. The soldiers, now well acquainted with his movements and modus operandi, were observing him from a short distance away.

Napoli looked around, sniffed the air, trying to determine if there were any uniforms nearby, then acted. A lightning-fast move that didn't escape the attention of the officers, who stopped him before he could even attempt to escape.

The trail of blows between September and today

Napoli's Sorrento career reveals an uncommon tenacity. His first act dates back to September 1st of last year: he was arrested red-handed for a van theft on Corso Italia.

Released after a summary trial, he wasted no time: ten days later, on September 11th, he was back in the same place, using the same technique, stealing items from another vehicle. Then too, the Carabinieri intervened immediately. After months behind bars, the 42-year-old returned to strike with a criminal consistency that landed him, for the third consecutive time, before a judge to face aggravated theft.

The 42-year-old is now in custody, awaiting trial, which will determine whether, this time, the lesson has been learned or whether the "theater" of Corso Italia will have to await his next return.