The Carabinieri forest police have arrested two men in a wooded area near Palermo for burning around 500 kilograms of stolen copper cable. The rapid intervention of the officers prevented an impending environmental disaster and a possible forest fire. The two men are accused of receiving stolen goods and serious environmental crimes.
The two men from Palermo, aged 28 and 35 and known to the police, were caught red-handed by officers specializing in environmental crimes. They had lit a fire in the forest area of Billiemi, between Palermo and Torretta, in order to melt the plastic insulation from the cables and get hold of the valuable copper. This illegal practice releases highly toxic dioxins and there was an acute risk of the flames spreading to the dry vegetation.
When the perpetrators noticed the police, they first tried to flee in a car and then on foot, but were caught and arrested by the carabinieri after a short pursuit. The alerted fire department was able to extinguish the fire quickly before any major damage was caused.
The officers confiscated the cables worth around 2,000 euros, the tools of the trade and the vehicle used for transportation. A court in Palermo confirmed the arrest and imposed a night-time curfew on both suspects as well as a reporting obligation until a decision is made on their case.
