Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
CATANIA – The crackdown on drug dealing and trafficking in the city on Mount Etna is intensifying. As part of the special operations ordered by Catania Police Headquarters, officers from the “Falchi” section of the Flying Squad carried out two separate anti-drug operations in different districts, culminating in one arrest and one person being reported to the judicial authorities.
Drugs hidden under a gas cylinder: 28-year-old already under house arrest arrested
The first operation saw investigators raid the home of a 28-year-old from Catania, a man already known to the police and subject to house arrest for previous offences involving drugs and weapons.
The man, believing it was a routine check on his presence at home, opened the door to the officers. The “Falchi” instead carried out a thorough search of the property, which was protected on the outside by a CCTV system. The checks proved positive: hidden under a gas cylinder, the police found 22 wraps of cocaine and crack, with a total weight of around 7.60 grams.
Inside the flat, precision scales, various packaging materials and a cash sum of €4,740, believed to be the proceeds of the illegal drug-dealing activity, were also found and seized. The 28-year-old was arrested for possession with intent to supply drugs, while the presumption of innocence applies until a final verdict.
Caught on a scooter in Antico Corso with 30 grams of cocaine
On the same day, a second raid was carried out in the Antico Corso area, near via Santa Maria della Catena.
Flying Squad officers intercepted and stopped a 54-year-old from Catania (who also had a police record) riding a scooter. A subsequent search on the spot uncovered a heat-sealed cellophane wrap containing around 30 grams of cocaine. The drug was seized and the man was reported to the judicial authorities for possession with intent to supply.
