Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
AGRIGENTO / NEWS – A sophisticated hi‑tech smuggling attempt aimed at inmates at the prison in contrada Petrusa, Agrigento, was foiled in the early hours of Sunday by a rapid operation carried out by Prison Officer Corps officers.
The raid led to the seizure of over 600 grams of drugs – cocaine, cannabis and hashish – along with a drone and accessories, several mobile phones, SIM cards, chargers and other electronic equipment now under examination by investigators. The remote‑controlled aircraft was stopped on the ground before it could fly over the prison walls.
The operation: Catania man stopped, hunt for accomplice
Checks and searches in the fields next to the prison allowed officers to catch and report to the judiciary a man from the province of Catania, found among the vegetation operating the drone.
According to investigators, the man under investigation acted with an accomplice – currently being identified – positioned nearby to provide visual guidance, direct the aircraft and ensure the illegal cargo was delivered precisely inside the prison wings.
SAPPE warning: “Established method, electronic shields needed”
Details of the operation were released by SAPPE (the autonomous Prison Officer Corps union), which has highlighted a now systemic strategy used by criminal organisations to breach the security of Italian prisons.
While praising the speed and professionalism shown by the Agrigento officers, SAPPE general secretary Donato Capece reiterated the seriousness of the phenomenon and the operational strain on staff:
“We are facing an established method by criminal groups that exploit new technology to smuggle drugs, phones and even weapons into prison, fuelling dealing networks and clandestine communication channels that severely jeopardise internal security. Officers are working with reduced staff, a lack of adequate equipment and gruelling shift patterns in the face of constant emergencies. We urgently call on the Prison Administration and the Government to take structural action, providing institutions with effective anti‑drone protection and neutralisation systems and stepping up prevention work.”
