More than 20 kilograms of cocaine were seized by Italy's Guardia di Finanza in an operation that began in the car park of a Decathlon shopping centre in Casoria, on the outer Circumvallazione road, and continued with searches in Arzano.
According to Il Mattino, officers from the Frattamaggiore group stopped two occupants of a white Alfa Romeo Giulietta, identified as 38-year-old Gioacchino Piscopo and T.M., a 36-year-old Albanian citizen.
Foot chase and hidden compartment
The report says the two men resisted the officers and fled on foot. Two finance police officers were injured during the pursuit.
Officers then searched the Alfa Romeo and found a concealed compartment in the front section of the vehicle. Inside were six packages of cocaine weighing more than 7 kilograms in total, along with mobile phones, credit cards, cash and keys.
Searches in Arzano
Searches at two properties in Arzano linked to the investigation produced another 11 packages of cocaine weighing almost 13 kilograms.
In total, the seized cocaine exceeded 20 kilograms, with an estimated retail value of between 2 million and 3 million euros.
One man arrested, one at large
Piscopo was arrested and held in prison pending a validation hearing, while the second suspect remained at large at the time of the report.
Investigators were still working to determine which criminal organisation the shipment was connected to. The alleged offence has not been established by a final judicial ruling, and no independent official statement corroborating the quantities, arrests or injuries was available in the reporting.
