Copper Theft Ring Busted: 8 Arrested for Stealing from Telecom Towers

They were stealing copper from repeaters and telephone antennas: a gang made up of eight people aged between 26 and 55, all Italians, has been discovered. Two orders, with eight custodial measures issued by the investigating judge of the North Naples Court. The Carabinieri of the Aversa Company executed them at the end of an investigation by the Public Prosecutor's Office of North Naples. Four were arrested, two under house arrest, one subjected to a residency requirement, and another two with the obligation to report to the authorities. The complex investigation activity was initiated after the numerous thefts of copper cables that occurred in the province of Caserta, between the months of February and August of last year, damaging the transmission equipment owned by telephone companies, in particular, the Rru (Radio remote unit) modules installed at the operators' antennas present in the territory, causing tens of thousands of euros in damages to the companies and numerous service disruptions for the users. The investigations, conducted through telephone wiretaps, observation, control and tailing services, GPS tracking analysis, and the review of images from public and private surveillance systems, have allowed gathering serious elements of guilt against the suspects. The investigators found that the group had set up a real organization with distinct roles. Some of them evaded house arrest to commit the thefts. During the operation, in a land owned by one of the suspects, later seized, pieces of Rru in the process of semi-processing were found. Furthermore, at the home of another suspect, over 30 kg of contraband cigarettes were found; therefore, an independent arrest was also made for such a crime.