Arrest of Four Individuals for Illegal Waste Trafficking and Aggravated Theft in Naples

The State Police have executed a pre-trial detention order in jail against four individuals of Roma ethnicity, issued by the Gip at the Court of Naples, upon request of the Public Prosecutor's Office - District Anti-Mafia Directorate, all originating from Serbia and North Macedonia, as they are seriously suspected of crimes of association for criminal purposes aimed at illegal waste trafficking and illicit waste combustion, as well as aggravated theft. Between the years 2017 and 2022, in the Roma camp located in Via Cupa Perillo - Scampia neighborhood - numerous arson fires of waste piles were recorded, the quantity of which was certainly not attributable to that normally produced by the inhabitants of the camp. Following investigative activities carried out by personnel of the Mobile Squad of Naples and the Scampia Police Station coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Naples, the existence of a criminal association, composed of Roma ethnicity subjects residing in the aforementioned nomad camp, which profited from illicit waste management activities, was ascertained. Specifically, as documented by cameras installed by the investigators, as well as numerous observation services also via drones, surveillance, and checks, the organization had set up an illegal waste depot within the camp, including special waste (such as discarded tires, large appliances, and plastic material), dumped by both private individuals and companies operating in nearby areas, with the aim of reducing disposal costs. The waste, once transported inside the camp aboard specific trucks, was then deposited in an uncontrolled manner in areas designated for storage; here, the subsequent separation of metals and other useful material, which was then resold to third parties, took place, from those components instead lacking economic value, which were burned to facilitate their disposal. The illicit activities in question were carried out, moreover, in the immediate vicinity of two school complexes, and the investigations also made it possible to ascertain the commission of several thefts of pieces of railings and metal poles to the detriment of the respective infrastructures. The four individuals were traced back to the same Roma camp in Via Cupa Perillo. The measure executed is a precautionary measure, ordered in the preliminary investigation phase, against which appeals are allowed, and the recipients of the same are persons under investigation and therefore presumed innocent until a final sentence