Illicit waste trafficking: €3,4 million in assets seized: 11 businessmen under investigation in Salerno and Naples

Naples – A vast investigation coordinated by the Salerno Public Prosecutor's Office and conducted by the Carabinieri of the Ecological Operations Unit (NOE) has led to the precautionary seizure of assets worth €3,4 million and the indictment of 11 businessmen accused of criminal conspiracy, illegal waste trafficking, and aggravated theft of ferrous metal.

The operation, carried out this morning in seven provinces (Salerno, Naples, Bari, Potenza, L'Aquila, Latina, and Frosinone), targeted a criminal network capable of turning illegal waste disposal and the plundering of railway construction sites into a multi-million dollar business, with illicit exports as far away as Turkey and Thailand.

The details of the investigation

The investigation began in September 2022, following an inspection in Albanella (Salerno) of a company involved in the treatment and recovery of urban and special waste. Through wiretaps and environmental investigations, NOE officers reconstructed a complex criminal scheme based on two main strands: the fraudulent management of special and urban waste, and the theft of large quantities of ferrous scrap, primarily collected from construction sites of the Italian railway network.

The illicit profits, estimated at €3,4 million, were placed under preventive seizure with the aim of direct confiscation and equivalent confiscation. In addition to the financial assets, 71 bank accounts attributable to the individuals and companies involved were sealed, as were eight large-tonnage trucks used for the illicit transport, and the corporate facilities of Cermental srl, Cr Metalli srl, Rafecology srl, and Ricicla srl, considered "tools" for the commission of the crimes.

Legambiente Campania's reaction

"This morning's operation confirms how the ecomafia continues to pose a major threat to the environment and our region's healthy economy," Mariateresa Imparato, president of Legambiente Campania, commented in a statement on the Carabinieri operation coordinated by the Salerno prosecutor's office.

"We thank the judiciary and law enforcement for an operation that targets a criminal system capable of turning waste into million-dollar profits at the expense of the environment, the health of citizens, and businesses that respect the rules."

According to Imparato, "once again it clearly emerges that the illegal waste cycle is not a marginal phenomenon, but a true criminal economy that exploits the weaknesses of the control system and the opaqueness of the supply chain."

The president of Legambiente Campania calls for "fighting eco-mafias to return to the national political agenda," with "more resources for regulatory bodies, strengthened environmental investigations, full traceability of waste flows, and clear sanctions for those who fuel this trafficking." "There can be no circular economy without legality," she adds.

Ecomafia numbers in Campania

Legambiente's latest Ecomafia report paints an alarming picture: in 2024, there were 253 crimes in the waste cycle, with 232 people reported, 11 arrests, and 126 seizures. "Campania," Imparato emphasizes, "is well aware of the price paid for illicit waste trafficking. Therefore, every counteraction must be accompanied by a structured commitment from institutions to prevent, monitor, and target the criminal networks that still attempt to profit from waste management and local resources."

The proposal: more plants and traceability

For years, Legambiente has argued that "legality also depends on plant engineering." "Constructing the facilities needed to close the waste cycle in Campania as quickly as possible means no longer leaving room for often lengthy and complex handling operations that increase costs for citizens and administrations and, at the same time, offer profit opportunities to illegal networks."

The best response to eco-mafias, the note concludes, "is industrial, transparent, and local waste management, based on modern facilities, effective controls, and full traceability of flows."
Eleven people are under investigation and have been asked to submit to a preliminary hearing before a judge, a formal step that precedes a decision on any personal precautionary measures requested by the magistrates.