Unexpected Deliveries: From Nativity Scenes to Narcotics

2023 had just begun when an unexpected purchase turned into a media phenomenon. A man bought a rural scene online to add to his nativity scene. However, in the "package", he received a 10-kilogram load of grass. Not the kind to embellish the rocks of Bethlehem, but marijuana ready to be dosed and sold. To the astonishment of the evident mistake, a more than legitimate question was added: "Who will have received the two shepherds instead of the load of drugs?" And to continue the tradition of online purchases gone wrong, we move to Pompeii. In the heart of the morning, a 43-year-old man rang the doorbell of the carabinieri station. He is a professional, with no criminal record, with a pale face. In his hands, a packaged box. A few days earlier - he told the soldiers - he had purchased a box of 50 footballer stickers on an online portal. When he found himself opening the package, he did not only find the faces of the football champions. With them, also two sealed cellophane bags containing white powder. That stuff looked suspicious. So, he drove to the carabinieri, hoping not to be stopped by some patrol along the way. He knew in his heart that the excuse of the online purchase would not hold up and he would surely get into trouble. Well, the military took over the package and analyzed the substance inside with a narcotest. It could have been baking soda or flour, but it was heroin. Pure. 180 grams of narcotics, a load worth several thousand euros. The drugs were seized but investigations continue to trace the careless "merchant". And especially to that pusher who will have to wait to resume selling.