Naples - The carabinieri have succeeded in striking a blow against organized environmental crime in the provinces of Naples and Caserta. In a large-scale operation on Friday morning, the officers executed an arrest warrant against two main suspects. A total of nine people are being investigated for illegal waste trafficking, forming a criminal organization and money laundering. The charges are aggravated by the suspicion of aiding and abetting the mafia.
25,000 tons of waste illegally dumped
A company from Castel Volturno is at the center of the investigation, which began in April 2023. Instead of properly disposing of industrial waste such as sewage sludge or construction waste, the company is said to have systematically dumped it in the countryside. In this way, the perpetrators saved themselves the high costs of legal treatment. Investigators documented how around 25,000 tons of waste ended up on agricultural land in Capua, Mondragone and Castelvolturno. Particularly serious: large quantities of foul-smelling sludge from the canning industry were simply dumped into two nearby natural lakes. Local residents had been complaining about the unbearable stench for some time.
In order to disguise the illegal transports, the network systematically falsified the freight documents. Officially, harmless building sand or treated material was loaded, but in reality the trucks were carrying smelly waste from tomato processing. Investigators estimate that the illegal profit amounted to around 1.6 million euros. This amount has now been confiscated, as have all the company's assets, vehicles and real estate. Six fields had already been sealed during the investigation.
Traces of the Casalesi clan
Explosive details were provided by a key witness, a former member of the Casalesi clan, which dominates the region. He confirmed that the company had been under the protection of the „Bidognetti“ group in the past and that he himself was a silent partner. Thanks to this mafia connection, the company had been awarded contracts for the disposal of waste from the expansion of a private clinic and the cleaning of beach resorts.
The public prosecutor's office emphasizes that the arrest warrants issued are a precautionary measure as part of the preliminary investigation. The presumption of innocence applies to all suspects until a final judgment has been passed.
