A major crackdown on youth crime across 44 Italian provinces led to 539 arrests, including 47 minors. Alongside was the discovery of almost 1,000 social media profiles promoting hatred and violence against ordinary citizens and police officers alike.
Police have identified nearly a thousand social media profiles promoting hatred and physical violence, including content targeting police officers and glorifying the use of firearms and knives. The discoveries came as part of a major operation targeting youth crime across 44 Italian provinces.
The operation led to the arrest of 539 people, 47 of them minors. Of the 973 problematic social media profiles uncovered during the checks, two have already been referred to the relevant judicial authorities for possible removal.
The scale of the operation
Coordinated by the Central Operations Service, the crackdown resulted in 954 people being charged, alongside the seizure of 703 kilos of narcotics and the search of 1,182 properties. Officers also seized approximately €300,000 in cash, 49 firearms and 87 bladed weapons. In total, close to 190,000 people were checked in areas linked to drug dealing and nightlife.
Flying Squad officers, supported by Crime Prevention Unit teams and other State Police divisions, carried out checks on roughly 188,000 people, including more than 19,000 minors. They focused largely on drug dealing hotspots and nightlife districts. Drugs seized during the operation included 41 kilos of cocaine, 660 kilos of cannabinoids, 2 kilos of ketamine and around 1,000 oxycodone pills. There were further quantities of narcotics and psychotropic substances including shaboo, ecstasy, MDMA and benzodiazepines, along with several precision scales used for dealing.
The 1,182 properties inspected during the operation included 24 reception facilities for unaccompanied foreign minors, 117 amusement arcades, 543 commercial establishments, and a range of social gathering points. The inspections led to 506 administrative fines, issued primarily for drug use and for serving alcohol to minors.
