Naples: Seized drug dealing hub reopened; two arrests in Soccavo

Naples – It had been seized only a few months ago, but someone apparently tried to restart it. On Via Catone, in the area of ​​99 Soccavo, Carabinieri from the Bagnoli Company's Operations Unit spotted signs of new drug dealing activity and intervened before the shop could be fully operational again.

Constant monitoring of the area would have allowed the military to spot the attempted resumption of activity. It's a familiar scenario: a square is raided, seized, and taken away from drug dealers, but after some time, someone attempts to reopen it, reviving the drug trade.

This time the operation led to the arrest of Emanuele Russo, 29, and Alessandro Pagano, 62, both Neapolitans and already known to law enforcement.

The scales, the doses and the cameras

At the time of the check, Russo was in front of a table on which the Carabinieri found a scale and several doses of narcotic substances, while Pagano was standing behind him.

A significant detail was the presence of a monitor connected to a camera system, used to monitor the area and, according to investigators, intercept any movements of law enforcement.
A video surveillance system was installed that was supposed to allow the square's occupants to monitor the outside world and prevent the arrival of the Carabinieri. Some notes believed to be related to the accounting of the illegal activity were also found in the area.

Cocaine, crack, hashish, and marijuana

The search resulted in the recovery of various types of narcotics. Specifically, the Carabinieri seized 9 grams of cocaine, 2 grams of crack, a stick of hashish, and 34 grams of marijuana. They also seized the scales used to weigh the drugs and €449 in cash, an amount believed by investigators to be the proceeds of drug dealing.

The variety of substances and the presence of doses pre-prepared for sale, along with the scales and cash, led to the hypothesis of a real drug dealing activity.

The arrest of the two men

At the end of the operation, Russo and Pagano were arrested on charges of possession of narcotics for the purpose of dealing.

The two were transferred to prison, at the disposal of the judicial authorities.
The operation is part of the Carabinieri's ongoing surveillance efforts in western Naples, focusing in particular on areas where drug dealing hubs already identified and seized can be re-occupied and reactivated.

The raid on Via Catone thus takes on a significance beyond the simple seizure of drugs: the operation interrupted an attempt to reopen a drug dealing hub that had already been the target of a previous law enforcement intervention.