Penitentiary police have seized six latest-generation smartphones inside the high-security "Avellino" wing of the Poggioreale prison in Naples.
The operation was reported by the Uspp, the penitentiary police union, which praised the professionalism of the officers involved. According to the Uspp, the phones could have provided illicit channels of communication with the outside world for detainees belonging to organized crime.
The union used the seizure to renew its call for advanced technology to detect or intercept drones and mobile phones inside the prison, alongside adequate staffing levels. The Uspp reported a shortfall of about 200 officers at Poggioreale, a figure attributed to the union and not confirmed by an independent administrative document.
The latest seizure follows a pattern of controls against the introduction and illicit use of phones in the Naples prison. In an earlier weekend search of the same facility, officers seized 15 mobile phones, 150 grams of hashish and 20 grams of cocaine, according to NapoliToday. Seven of those phones were found in high-security wings.
That earlier episode is not described as directly connected to the new seizure of six smartphones, but both cases point to repeated efforts to bring prohibited devices into secure sections of the prison.
No details have been released on the models of the six smartphones, the inmates involved, or any subsequent judicial measures. The exact timing of the discovery in relation to the publication of the report was also not specified.
