Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
SORTINO – A harsh, detailed indictment of drug dealing in Sortino and of the level of tolerance or complicity in parts of the local community. It was delivered on social media by the member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly Carlo Auteri, who in a video on his Facebook page announced sweeping institutional and legal action to tackle the dealing hotspots operating in the town centre.
Auteri explained that he had arranged a series of operational meetings after reviewing detailed documentation and reports about specific locations in the town.
The dealing hotspots and an appeal to property owners
In his remarks, Auteri explicitly named well-identified areas in the town centre, including via Pietro Gaetani and via Durante, pointing to two buildings used as logistical bases for the illegal activity:
“In Sortino we have drug dealing that goes beyond any level acceptable to decent people. Via Pietro Gaetani, via Durante: there are two buildings where, as everyone knows, drugs are dealt. I am issuing an invitation and a formal warning to the owners of these two buildings to proceed with the immediate termination of the tenancy agreement, assuming there is one that has been properly registered. It is outrageous that everyone knows and yet we all pretend not to see.”
— Carlo Auteri, member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly
Auteri specified that he will file a detailed formal complaint and criminal complaint with the financial police (Guardia di Finanza), the Carabinieri and the National Police (Polizia di Stato), providing the street numbers, land registry details and the identities of the owners of the buildings involved, to check for any tax irregularities or abetting.
Businesses under scrutiny and an appeal to families
Auteri also targeted the role of certain businesses and licensed premises in the area, where, according to his findings, dealing-related activity is said to take place regularly:
“I have a precise list of businesses where this filth goes on, and I will pass everything to the relevant authorities. There is a terrifying level of complicity and a cosy tolerance towards certain individuals that must be broken immediately. As a father, I live with the anxiety that our children might come across these criminals in bars, squares and streets. To parents I say: all is not well, we must react and take to the streets. For my part, I will use every power the law gives me as a parliamentarian to protect honest citizens and our community.”
Auteri concluded by reiterating his intention to press the police and investigating authorities to carry out high-impact checks and to force the closure of the businesses involved.
