From drug dealing squares to the 'boss in the closet': the Carabinieri's widespread grip on the Neapolitan territory

From the rugged mountain ridges to the elegant streets of the wealthy Posillipo area, to the narrow alleys of the historic center, the anti-crime efforts conducted by the Naples Provincial Carabinieri Command establish a constant and widespread presence throughout the area.

A wide-ranging offensive, launched on September 19, encompasses everything from combating drug trafficking to hunting fugitives, protecting victims of domestic violence, and improving road safety.

Drug trafficking: "crack in the toilet" and a suitcase of heroin in Caivano

Along the paths of the Lattari Mountains, soldiers from the Castellammare di Stabia Company and hunters from the Sardinian Helicopter Squadron combed ravines and abandoned pipelines. In the Aranciata Faito area, 1.355 doses of crack, marijuana, and hashish were found inside a car, along with a sophisticated bug detector.

Between Castellammare and Pimonte, the checks turned into full-blown raids: a case in point was when a prisoner under house arrest, attempting to attack officers to buy time, allowed his partner to dispose of the drugs in the bathroom. This was a fruitless diversion, as officers searched the sewer manholes, recovering 48 doses of crack, and arresting both of them.

The investigative effort remains unchanged on the other side of the province. In Soccavo, a recently reopened drug dealing hub was dismantled and seized, while in Caivano, a suitcase left on a bus revealed an exceptional shipment: over 5 kilos of heroin divided into 469 sachets.

Further drug seizures have occurred in the eastern suburbs, where a thirty-seven-year-old man was found to be keeping 70 grams of marijuana and hashish in his refrigerator at home. The latest findings come from Gragnano and Casola, with two people reported for drug dealing.

The Forcella raid: the "closet boss" discovered

Among the most notable operational successes was the capture of Giuseppe Del Prete, believed by investigators to be a leading member of the Mazzarella clan and missing since March 3. Carabinieri from the Napoli Stella Company tracked him down in the heart of Forcella, inside his home: the fugitive was hiding in a secret cavity created in the false bottom of a closet. He was subsequently placed in custody, issued by the Naples GIP at the request of the Anti-Mafia Department, for mafia-type association and drug trafficking.

Red Code: the commitment to combat femicide and domestic violence

Equally dramatic were the interventions in the area of ​​gender-based violence, where the Carabinieri's prompt response prevented the worst on several occasions. In Melito, officers had to break down the front door of an apartment with their shoulders to stop a man from savagely beating his wife, who was then rushed to the operating room. Also in Melito, a 28-year-old man was arrested after threatening his ex-partner while she was at the station filing a complaint, with the Carabinieri listening in live on the conversation.

Similar scenes occurred in Castellammare di Stabia, where an off-duty Carabiniere intervened to stop an attacker following a fleeing woman with her face covered in blood, and in Varcaturo, where a man treated at the hospital attacked his girlfriend right there. Finally, in Sant'Anastasia, a patrol stopped another attack stemming from a man's morbid desire to search his girlfriend's smartphone.

Checks in Posillipo, thwarted thefts, and commercial security

The high-impact activity also affected the streets of the capital and neighboring municipalities. On Via Petrarca, on the Posillipo hill, a joint operation with the Municipal Police led to the identification of 80 people, the inspection of 38 vehicles, and the issuance of eight fines, in addition to the reporting of two illegal parking attendants. Investigations conducted with the Naples Local Health Authority (ASL Napoli 1) at five commercial premises in the area revealed serious health and safety deficiencies and structural issues, requiring the clearing of the outdoor area for a bar.

Similar monitoring was carried out in Pianura, Rione Traiano, Frattamaggiore, Pomigliano, and the municipalities in the northern and southern areas. In Qualiano, electricity theft from the public grid, worth more than €181, was discovered by a local bar, while in Pomigliano, 15 illegal connections were sealed off in as many apartments.

The picture is completed with thousands of individuals identified in the neighborhoods of San Giovanni a Teduccio, Ponticelli, and Poggioreale, and the towns of Marano, Villaricca, and Torre Annunziata. This activity has led to the seizure of knives and firearms in Acerra, Procida, and Sorrento, the foiling of car thefts in Volla, and the arrest of those responsible for two robberies in Piazza del Gesù and a pharmacy in the Barra neighborhood, framed thanks to cross-referencing eyewitness accounts and video surveillance footage.

A widespread presence that reaffirms the fundamental rule of territorial control: constantly returning to the same places to ensure legality.