Through the port of Cagliari and the Milan Malpensa airport they brought the drugs to Italy hidden in commercial containers or embarked on planes coming from the Dominican airport "La Romana". The investigations to identify the Rome-based drug trafficking organization with branches abroad see a turning point with the arrest and extradition to Italy of a Dominican drug trafficker, included in the list of the 100 most dangerous fugitives. The man was the recipient of an order issued in 2021 by the Rome court and arrived in Fiumicino escorted by Interpol personnel.
The suspects, it emerged during the investigations, made use of "safe exit channels" at the port of Cagliari and the Milan Malpensa airport, where the narcotic arrived hidden inside commercial containers or embarked on aircraft coming from " The Roman". The main supplier of the criminal group had been identified as a senior officer of the Dominican National Police who, making use of further accomplices stationed inside the airport and in other local port facilities, managed to obtain large quantities of cocaine, of which he organized loading and shipping, evading police checks.
During the investigations, 500 kilos of cocaine were seized and, in October 2017, the Rome court issued a precautionary detention order in prison against members of the organisation. The Dominican police officer, permanently resident in the Caribbean country, managed to escape capture, which was instead carried out against 19 suspects, subsequently sentenced in first instance to up to 20 years in prison.
In April 2023, thanks to the collaboration between the Rome DDA, Interpol and the Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Services, the arrest of the now extradited drug trafficker.
(Unioneonline/ss)
