Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
The financial police (Guardia di Finanza) of the Catania provincial command, as part of stepped-up operations against illicit trafficking, arrested a Serbian national in the act of transporting a large consignment of cocaine weighing a total of 22 kg.
The operation took place near the Catania–San Gregorio motorway toll booth, in the direction of Catania, where officers from the Mount Etna economic-financial police unit stopped a German-registered car for a check.
When questioned, the driver, a 36-year-old Serbian man, was unable to explain why he was in Italy and showed clear signs of nervousness, especially when the Guardia di Finanza’s dog unit, “Nanda”, was called in.
In light of the evidence and the positive signals from the German shepherd of the “fiamme gialle”, a search of the vehicle was carried out. This uncovered 20 blocks of a substance that preliminary narcotics tests identified as cocaine, with a total weight of about 22 kilograms.
The drug had been stashed in a hidden compartment, skilfully created by making structural modifications to the vehicle beneath the central driving console and gear shift. Access to this compartment was only possible via a complex lever-release mechanism, making the illicit load virtually undetectable during a routine car check.
Given this discovery, and while the presumption of innocence of the suspect remains valid until a final conviction, the officers proceeded with the seizure of the drug and the vehicle and arrested the man in the act for possession and transport of narcotics, aggravated by the large quantity involved.
The drug, equivalent to 20–25,000 doses, would have generated illegal proceeds of about €1.8 million if sold at retail on the local market.
