Varcaturo: 64-year-old arrested with hazardous waste and tampered CIE

Giugliano – Operation Terra dei Fuochi (Land of Fires) continues its daily fight against environmental degradation. In Giugliano, Campania, in the Varcaturo area, an Italian Army patrol—monitored by the Carabinieri Forestry Corps control room—noticed a Fiat Croma with a person and several transparent bags inside.

The arrest and the coordinated intervention

The Army stopped the car, maintaining radio contact with the control room. The pollution control center—which centralizes reports, information flows, and requests for intervention in the provinces of Naples and Caserta—despatched Carabinieri officers from the Varcaturo station and the 10th Carabinieri Regiment "Campania" to the scene.

Hazardous waste and altered document

Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered the presence of various waste items, including hazardous materials, in the car: paint buckets, contaminated packaging, and textile scraps. The driver is 64 years old and a local. He has several criminal records for theft, receiving stolen goods, and drug trafficking. He has never held a driver's license, and the car was uninsured. When he handed over the only identification document he had, the familiar surgical hole in the CIE was revealed.

The excuse of taking the garbage to the recycling center didn't hold up: it was Sunday, the only day it was closed.

Report and seizure

The 64-year-old was charged with unauthorized waste management and possession of a falsified identity document. The garbage and vehicle were seized and handed over to a specialized company.

The joint force, with the Army and Carabinieri, continues to operate daily against environmental crimes in the Land of Fires area.