Special waste and illegal Eternit landfill: five people reported in Casapulla and Grazzanise

A double blow to environmental crime in the Caserta area. Carabinieri officers from the San Prisco and Grazzanise stations have reported five people at large as part of a series of checks aimed at preventing and combating environmental crimes. The operation resulted in the seizure of a vehicle loaded with hazardous waste and the sealing of an area designated as an illegal open-air landfill.

Casapulla: The Ghost Van Full of WEEE

The first operation took place in Piazza Falcone e Borsellino in Casapulla. Here, officers from the San Prisco station stopped for a check a Piaggio Poker van carrying two men from San Marcellino, a 20-year-old—the owner of a sole trader in scrap metal wholesale—and a 38-year-old.

In the cargo area of ​​the vehicle, the Carabinieri discovered a large load of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE): discarded appliances such as washing machines, boilers, computers, and microwave ovens, as well as various metal materials. Investigations revealed that the transport was taking place in complete absence of the required permits. The two men were charged with unauthorized waste management, while the vehicle and its cargo were seized and placed in judicial custody.

Grazzanise: 150 cubic meters of poison and asbestos in the fields

The situation discovered in Grazzanise is even more serious. Carabinieri from the local station sealed off a 1.915-square-meter farm located in a hamlet of the municipality. Three people—residents of Grazzanise, San Cipriano d'Aversa, and Caserta, aged 46, 88, and 83—were reported as co-owners of the land.

In the area, the military confirmed the presence of approximately 150 cubic meters of special and hazardous waste accumulated in an uncontrolled manner: building demolition debris and, most importantly, numerous sheets of Eternit, a material known to contain asbestos. The poisons were lying on the ground, which was not waterproofed, partly buried and directly exposed to the elements, posing a risk of soil contamination. The entire area was seized and placed in judicial custody of one of the suspects.

The files are now being examined by the Judiciary to ascertain individual criminal responsibilities in the appropriate venues.