REGGIO CALABRIA (ITALPRESS) – Carabinieri from Saline di Montebello Jonico in collaboration with the Squadrone Eliportato Cacciatori di Calabria have discovered a massive arsenal and a significant amount of cocaine ready to be put into drug markets. The searches focused on two separate plots of land: one abandoned and unfenced, and another owned by six sisters, who were subsequently reported for illegal possession of weapons and drugs.The operation led to the discovery of weapons of war and ammunition hidden in conditions that would preserve their operational effectiveness and also drugs. Specifically, an AK-47 Kalashnikov automatic rifle with a punched registration, accompanied by two empty tanks; three pistols, two of which had a punched registration, and three rifles, two of which had a punched registration; more than 500 cartridges of various calibers, including some war cartridges; about 500 grams of pure cocaine, destined for the black market, with an estimated value of about 150,000 euros; and two precision balances used to divide the cocaine into doses.Much of the material was concealed in water pipes and decommissioned wooden structures similar to chicken coops, carefully wrapped in cellophane bags and stored in cases, demonstrating a sophisticated concealment system designed to evade law enforcement checks.In an abandoned plot of land, Carabinieri also found 200 grams of TNT with primer and a homemade “paper bomb” type device weighing 1.2 kilograms, both hidden inside an iron pipe buried under earth and rubble. Among the material seized in this area were also three pistols, one of which was hidden inside a sock, a 20-gauge over-and-under shotgun and another 165 cartridges of various calibers.The explosive material and the homemade device were detonated on the spot by the Reggio Calabria Provincial Command’s anti-bomb squad, ensuring maximum security. The entire arsenal and drugs were placed under criminal seizure and made available to the Judicial Authority to allow ballistic and technical-scientific investigations. For the weapons, in particular, checks will be carried out to determine their possible provenance from criminal episodes or theft.- photo Carabinieri press office -(ITALPRESS).
