The shadow of the 'Ndrangheta on Rome: drug dealing square in Quarticciolo destroyed
The raid by the Carabinieri and the DDA: a man from the 'Ndrangheta gang at the top of the criminal organization

Press Release - 13 October 2023 - 11:52Comment Press Send news 3 min

Rome – In the Quarticciolo district, in Rome, the Carabinieri of the Compagnia di Roma Casilina on behalf of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rome have executed orders ordering precautionary measures, issued by the Court of Rome, against 6 Italian people -4 men aged 50, 44 and 25 and 2 women aged 41 and 46-, of which 3 have been placed in pre-trial detention in prison and 3 are under house arrest. Those arrested are seriously accused, for various reasons, of " Association aimed at illicit trafficking of narcotic or psychotropic substances " and "Illicit production, trafficking and possession of narcotic or psychotropic substances".

Quarticciolo, association aimed at drug dealing
The provision is the result of a detailed investigative activity, which began in 2019 and concluded in 2022 , coordinated by the DDA of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rome and conducted by the Carabinieri of the Operational Unit of the Compagnia di Roma Casilina.

The investigation, also with the aid of technical activities, made it possible to collect serious circumstantial elements regarding the existence of a structured criminal association , made up of Italian people who managed the retail sale of cocaine, crack and hashish in the neighborhood Quarticciolo, where one of the main shopping squares of the capital is located . At the top of the group was a man of Calabrian origins, currently the recipient of a precautionary custody order in prison, already definitively convicted of mafia-type association, currently detained in the Parma prison, and belonging to a gang with important roles. ndrangheta member of Lamezia Terme.

The investigations documented how the criminal activity took place in various drug dealing areas, monitored 24 hours a day by lookouts and organized through a hierarchy, a clear division of roles and shifts organized between members of the association . In order to hinder the investigations, the suspects used cryptic language to refer to the doses of narcotics, called " cones " or " tickets "; when one of his associates had to carry a large load of narcotics, he said he had to go to a " party ". Finally, the use of a cellar used as a bunker was unique, from which the pusher supplied the customers; the environment, closed from the inside, was equipped with video surveillance and two colored light bulbs activated from the outside which had the function of signaling to the pusher the arrival of the police.

During the investigation, the Carabinieri of the Rome Casilina Company estimated a turnover of around 500,000 euros on an annual basis. Furthermore, to guarantee the loyalty of the members , the proceeds of the illicit activity were also used by the organization to guarantee the sustenance of the families of the suspects when the latter were detained and for the payment of legal expenses , effectively creating a "social safety net". .

The direct involvement of minors was also ascertained , one of whom was also arrested red-handed for drug dealing during the activity, under the direction of members of the criminal organization. During the investigation, in response to the evidence emerging from the technical activity, a total of 8 people were arrested.

Another 9 individuals under investigation, found to be involved in minor roles in the retail sale of drugs, will be sent to trial without the application of precautionary measures.