Illegal homes built on regional land: 18 properties between Licola and Varcaturo seized.

Giugliano – Eighteen structures were constructed without any permit on land owned by the Campania Region. This was discovered following a complex investigation coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of North Naples, which led to the execution of a precautionary seizure order.

The operation, conducted by the Environmental, Agri-food and Forestry Police Investigative Unit (NIPAAF) of Naples, with the support of the Neapolitan Carabinieri Forestry Group and the local Carabinieri Company, involved an area located between the towns of Licola and Marina di Varcaturo.

The charge: occupation of former Opera Combattenti land

The order, issued by the Preliminary Investigations Judge (GIP), concerns twelve people currently under investigation. The alleged crime is invasion of public lands. The areas in question are classified as available property of the Campania Region and formerly belonged to the now-dissolved National War Veterans' Organization.

According to the evidence reconstructed by investigators, through careful inspections and documentary checks on the buildings' history and property titles, the suspects first occupied the land and then built the 18 properties, continuing to live there without any legal title.

Under the microscope: wastewater discharges and the risk to Lake Patria

The investigations did not stop at urban planning, but also focused on the environmental aspect, a critical issue often linked to illegal construction. The inspections uncovered irregularities in the disposal of domestic wastewater, revealing the presence of illegal connections to the municipal sewer system and the use of collection pits, known as cesspits.

Further investigations are underway on this front. The goal is to determine whether and how these irregular drainage systems may have contributed to the already known and serious pollution of the nearby Lago Patria basin.

The future scenario: regularization or eviction

The future of the 18 seized properties will depend on the current occupants' next moves. The structures have been included in the Campania Region's "Plan for the Development and Disposal of the Site." Those under investigation will have a set deadline to complete the bureaucratic process of de-state ownership of the areas; if no agreement is reached, the authorities envisage forced eviction of the buildings.

It should be remembered, as emphasized by the Prosecutor's Office itself, that the seizure is a precautionary measure issued during the preliminary investigation phase. The recipients of the measure are currently under investigation and, therefore, are presumed innocent until a final sentence is issued.