Chipless ID cards for drug dealing and fraud: the Camorra's shadow over CIEs

Naples – An invisible trail connects the drug dealing hub of the Traiano district to the alleys of the market area, passing through the Marano hinterland, and all the way to the exclusive island of Capri. This is the map of the phenomenon of altered Electronic Identity Cards (CIE), a crime that in just twenty-four hours has led to four arrests and charges filed by the Carabinieri of the Naples Provincial Command.

Different social profiles and contexts with one thing in common: possession of an identity document without the original or counterfeit microchip.

Blitzes in the territory: from the gun to the stolen microchip

The first operation took place overnight in the Traiano district, where officers from the Mobile Radio Unit apprehended a suspected drug dealer found in possession of a ready-to-use pistol and an obviously altered CIE (electronic identity card). Shortly thereafter, in Marano, the local unit searched a twenty-two-year-old man from Mugnano with a police record: in his pockets, along with several doses of narcotics, was an electronic document from which the microchip had been surgically removed.

This is no coincidence, confirming the frequent overlap between predatory crime, drug dealing, and document forgery.

The audacity in the barracks and the Capri case

Surreal incidents abound. In the Borgoloreto area, a man living in Bari spontaneously showed up at the Carabinieri station to report the loss of some personal belongings. When the guard asked for identification, the man casually produced an electronic ID card that was visibly tampered with near the integrated chip.

The result was an immediate charge of material forgery committed by a private individual. A twenty-two-year-old from Capri met the same fate a few hours later when officers on the island caught him with an identity document stripped of its electronic components.

Technology at the service of controls: the IDEA App

The wave of checks in recent months—which have led to dozens of reports throughout the metropolitan area—has highlighted how the removal of the chip responds to a specific criminal dynamic: reusing the original electronic components to produce completely false documents or to prevent the owner from being traced.

IDEA (Identity Easy Access), the application developed by the Italian State Printing Office and Mint, plays a crucial role in the verification operations. Using the NFC reader integrated into the patrol's smartphones, the application instantly reads the encrypted data stored in the document's chip, verifying its authenticity and correct correspondence with the apprehended individual.

PRACTICAL GUIDE AND SAFETY TIPS
How the IDEA App works

Available for Android devices via Google Play, the IDEA app allows you to scan the back of the document and verify the integrity of the data using NFC technology.

Consult the official IPZS guide: [https://www.idea.ipzs.it/loadp-p=guidaApp.html](https://www.idea.ipzs.it/loadp-p=guidaApp.html)

Why is the microchip removed?

Removing the electronic component irreparably compromises the CIE's digital authentication functions. Stolen chips are often placed on the black market to assemble highly fraudulent counterfeit identity documents.

What to do in case of anomalies or doubts:

1. Avoid usingNever present or use a CIE that shows signs of chipping, cutting or the absence of the microchip.
2. Check at the registry officeIn the event of deterioration or physical anomalies, promptly contact the issuing municipality for verification or renewal.
3. Data protection: Be extremely careful of suspicious requests for PIN/PUK codes or document images from third parties.
4. Immediate complaintIf you suspect identity theft or chip cloning, immediately contact the Emergency Number 112 or go to the nearest Carabinieri station.