Rome, eleven arrests for drug dealing: ingenious hiding places and over 1 kilogramme of drugs seized
State Police arrest eleven people in Rome and the surrounding area. Over one kilogramme of narcotics and nearly 10,000 euros in cash were seized, with sophisticated hiding places discovered in car interiors and in apartment building walls.
Eleven detained for drug trafficking in Rome and province
According to questure.poliziadistato.it, the State Police carried out eleven arrests in a series of operations conducted in the capital and surrounding area. During the searches, over one kilogramme of narcotic substances and nearly 10,000 euros in cash were seized. Investigators discovered a range of sophisticated hiding places, from blocks of hashish concealed in shopping bags to magnetic safes fitted into car dashboards, as well as an apartment building wall converted into a cocaine dispensing point.
The first operation took place on via Tiburtina, where officers from the Volanti patrol unit stopped a car with five men inside. Between the car seats, ten blocks of hashish weighing approximately one kilogramme in total were found, along with over 6,000 euros in cash hidden in shopping bags. A further 535 euros were recovered from three of the occupants, bringing the total cash seizure to 7,110 euros. All five occupants were arrested for possession with intent to supply in joint commission.
At Ponte Milvio, officers from the XV District discovered a sophisticated hiding place in a car's dashboard. A thirty-three-year-old Roman stopped for inspection in via della Farnesina had modified the car's air-conditioning panel by installing a magnetic safe inside that opened via a hidden magnet and button. Inside the compartment investigators found 35 doses of crack and cocaine totalling approximately 80 grammes, as well as 1,000 euros in cash. A further 320 euros were found in the driver's pockets. He was arrested for possession with intent to supply.
In the Appio district, investigators from the police station discovered an even more unusual system. A forty-one-year-old Roman had converted a wall along a building access path into an underground cocaine dispensing point, from which one only had to insert a hand through a hole to extract the drug. Officers found 15 packages inside the cavity, totalling approximately 20 grammes, whilst three identical packages were hidden in the man's underwear. 135 euros were also seized from his possession. The man was arrested.
The operations extended to other areas of the province. In Colleferro, officers from the local police station intercepted a thirty-six-year-old following a suspected street transaction, discovering two packages of cocaine in the car doors and approximately 13 grammes of hashish hidden in his underwear. Searches extended to three properties in his possession recovered a further 40 grammes of hashish, scales and packaging materials.
In Genzano, the frequent flow of visitors attracted investigators' attention to the property of a fifty-one-year-old. Inside the building, over 86 grammes of hashish were found distributed between the kitchen and the wardrobe, some of which was kept in the pocket of a jacket hanging inside the cupboard.
In the Africano district, a forty-eight-year-old Roman was stopped by officers from the Vescovio police station in piazza Addis Abeba whilst attempting to dispose of a cigarette packet containing approximately 15 grammes of ketamine divided into four packages. A subsequent search of his home revealed scales and a fragment of hashish hidden behind a coat rack, as well as 360 euros in cash being seized.
On via Tommaso Smith, finally, Volanti officers stopped a fifty-six-year-old Roman driving a rental car during the night-time hours. The man, already subject to a ban on residing in the capital, had concealed ten packages of cocaine between his jacket and trousers, as well as 895 euros in cash. All arrests were subsequently validated by the judicial authority.
According to information provided by questure.poliziadistato.it, the investigative evidence described pertains to the preliminary investigation phase. The presumption of innocence remains in force for all those under investigation until a final determination through an irrevocable court sentence.
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)