The Piacenza State Police executed six international arrest warrants against members of a criminal group specializing in armed robberies . The arrested individuals, of North African and South American origin and resident in Italy, were traveling from northern Italy to Switzerland in their own cars, changing their license plates shortly before the border to avoid identification.
Once there, they split into groups to target mainly gas stations in the Balerna area . Posing as customers, they threatened cashiers with guns , sometimes even physically assaulting them, and stole the cash from the tills. They then fled in cars with altered license plates , restoring the original numbers upon returning to Italy. The total loot from the robberies was in the tens of thousands of francs .
The Swiss police successfully identified the group and obtained international arrest warrants. In Italy, the International Police Cooperation Service launched searches in the provinces of Piacenza and Monza, coordinating with local Mobile Squads.
The investigation was not easy: some of the wanted men were homeless, while others, with no criminal record, lived normal lives and worked regularly, without ever arousing suspicion. In less than 48 hours, all six members of the group were tracked down, arrested, and taken to prison, pending extradition to Switzerland, where they face up to 15 years in prison.
(Unioneonline)