TRIESTE – One of the largest drug seizures in Europe identified Tuesday by the Guardia di Finanza and Dia with precautionary measures for as many as 38 people in Europe and Colombia, police said.  

 In all, 4.3 tonnes of cocaine have been seized, as well as 2 million euros in cash by The Finance Police of Trieste, coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate. This has been considered one of the most impressive drug seizures in Europe. The value of the 4,300 net kilograms of cocaine is estimated to have costed the criminal organisation around 96 million euros. This value would have increased to 240 million euros on the Italian market. 

 As well as drug seizures, various vehicles including pulls and SUVs worth 100 thousand euros were seized with 1.8 million euros in cash. 

 Over 60 financiers have also been carrying out an ordinance of pre-trial detention in prison against 38 people in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and Colombia, all accused of international drug trafficking. 

 These investigations had been going on for over a year, with the cooperation of the Colombian judiciary and police and the US Homeland Security Investigations Agency. They have reconstructed the dense network of ties between South American cocaine producers and buyers in Europe, operating within criminal organisations in Veneto, Lombardy, Lazio, and Calabria. 

 Undercover agents, who pretended to manage the logistics of the traffic, infiltrated the organisation in which important brokers, wholesalers and various transport workers were identified as playing a part. 19 consecutive “controlled deliveries” were identified between May 2021 and May 2022. A large number of carriers operating in Italy and all over the world were identified, as well as important players in the world drug trafficking system. 

al