Naples: Camorra drone headed for Poggioreale prison shot down

Naples – A state-of-the-art iPhone and 150 grams of hashish were ready to leap over the walls of the Giuseppe Salvia prison in Poggioreale, transported by air. The delivery plan was foiled thanks to the timely intervention of Penitentiary Police officers, who intercepted and shot down the aircraft before it could reach the inmates' windows.

According to initial investigative reconstructions, the shipment was intended to fuel the thriving domestic black market for telephones and narcotics.

The union's complaint: "It's a high-tech war."

"We are facing yet another attempt to breach the security of the Naples prison," USPP President Giuseppe Moretti and Regional Secretary Ciro Auricchio stated in a joint statement. The union emphasizes how organized crime is investing in increasingly sophisticated drones to maintain communication channels with the outside world and maintain control of illicit activities even from inside the prison.

"A real technological war with the mafia is underway," union officials emphasize, "but the staff's promptness has prevented the worst."

Staff shortages and necessary technological shields

The incident refocuses attention on the structural issues plaguing the Naples prison system. With an inmate population approaching 2.300, the Poggioreale prison is facing a staffing shortage of approximately 200 Penitentiary Police officers. The USPP is thus once again calling for urgent technological improvements: from the installation of jamming systems to enhanced perimeter surveillance, deemed essential to counter evolving air smuggling tactics.

The escalation of drone attacks on Campania prisons

The phenomenon of drones being deployed over Campania prisons to deliver illicit material has now become a constant operational and security emergency. The incident of September 9, 2026, in Poggioreale is just the latest in a long series of attempts foiled by law enforcement and the Penitentiary Police:

September 2026 (Salerno) : Parallel to the Poggioreale case, an aircraft loaded with hashish, cocaine and a smartphone was intercepted after crashing onto the roof of the Fuorni prison in Salerno.

August 2026 (Secondigliano) : Another drug delivery was foiled in Secondigliano, highlighting the widespread nature of the phenomenon across various structures in the region.

July 2026 (Poggioreale): Major operation in Poggioreale with a total of 6 drones seized along with over 70 cell phones and 2,5 kg of narcotics intercepted during perimeter operations.

May 2026 (Poggioreale): Double operation in just a few days. First, two drones loaded with material were shot down, then a second raid led to the arrest of a 28-year-old from the Salerno area who was remotely piloting the quadcopter from near the prison perimeter.