Drugs sold on social media and paid for in cryptocurrency, three arrested

Eur and Noam, arrest warrants issued by Carabinieri for drug dealing

ROME – Following a comprehensive investigative effort led by magistrates from the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office's "Widespread and Serious Crime" department, Carabinieri officers from the Rome-EUR Company's Operational Unit, along with those from the Cryptocurrency Section of the Carabinieri Anti-Counterfeiting Command, have executed an order issued by the Rome Court's preliminary investigations judge ordering the detention of three men residing in the capital. One of them was previously detained in Civitavecchia prison for similar crimes. All are suspected of conspiracy to sell and possess narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, and only one of them is suspected of money laundering and self-laundering. This complex investigation began in 2023 and stems from the analysis of several so-called "cookie" platforms. of exchanges, registered to one of the suspects, on which cryptocurrency transactions were carried out consisting of the deposit, in the electronic wallet of a Chinese citizen, already arrested in June 2024 by the same Carabinieri, of large sums of money of illicit origin.

The logistical base of the criminal group consisted of an apartment located outside Rome

These cryptocurrencies were then converted by the same person—through specific operations aimed at hindering their criminal origin—into cash and reintroduced into legal circulation. The investigations and specific investigative activities documented the drug trafficking activity (cocaine, hashish, and marijuana) carried out in Rome and other Italian cities and gathered serious evidence regarding the criminal syndicate's modus operandi, which consisted of selling drugs through social media channels (Telegram and Instagram), receiving customer payments on digital wallets (including in the form of cryptocurrencies)—which were then laundered—and shipping the purchased substances via couriers. The criminal group's logistical base, identified through observation and shadowing, consisted of an apartment located just outside Rome, where the drugs were stored, packaged in packages, stamped with special postal service labels, and shipped via couriers. During the investigation, 15 kg of hashish were found and seized at the aforementioned logistics base; one semi-automatic 9mm "browing" pistol with its serial number removed; six bottles of Rivotril; and five firecrackers. During the execution of the measure, the officers executed warrants for personal, home, and computer searches. The order is a precautionary measure, issued during preliminary investigations. It is open to appeal, and its recipients are persons under investigation and therefore presumed innocent until a final sentence is reached.

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