Ten people are in prison, six are under house arrest, and five are ordered to remain at home . These are the precautionary measures carried out this morning, Monday, December 15, in the provinces of Sassari, Nuoro, Cagliari, Bergamo, Latina, and Novara .
Operation "Polo Ovest" began in the early hours of the morning, a blitz by the Carabinieri of the Olbia Territorial Unit, with the support of the competent local stations and the "Sardegna" Helicopter Squadron. The 21 measures were issued by the Cagliari investigating judge at the request of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate, as part of an investigation launched in 2019 into two criminal groups involved in drug trafficking , operating in Sardinia and the rest of the Italian peninsula.
A criminal system dedicated to the large-scale production, importation and distribution of cocaine and marijuana .
Two criminal organizations were busted through wiretaps, shadowing, targeted seizures, asset searches, and the acquisition of chat messages via international letters rogatory. Formally independent, but closely connected, they were both involved. One, consisting of 11 people, was allegedly managing the supply of cocaine from the mainland through contacts with other criminal organizations operating in various regions. The other, consisting of five people, was involved in the production and movement of large quantities of marijuana in Sardinia .
Marijuana which, according to what investigators have ascertained, was sold to the first organization as a bargaining chip to finance the purchase of cocaine, with a ratio of approximately 50 kilos of marijuana for one kilo of cocaine .
The movement of over 200 kilos of cocaine and 450 kilos of marijuana was documented, for a turnover of approximately €3 million . The investigation thus reveals a qualitative leap in Sardinian crime, increasingly capable of forging ties and partnerships with organizations on the mainland.
Olbia is the syndicate's strategic logistical hub, and investigations have revealed it to be a hub for the storage, distribution, and management of deals . In fact, several members with direct connections to drug suppliers live in the Gallura city: cocaine arriving from the mainland enters Olbia, while marijuana produced on the island leaves Olbia. Several prosecutors' offices, particularly that of Livorno, had previously identified processing facilities in the Gallura city's hinterland for marijuana export.
(Unioneonline/L)