Page 210 - Supplemento 2-2016 (ENG)

donato monaco

An example that may illustrate this pervasiveness is the criminal world
involved in the illicit management of waste. In this matter we are witnessing the
rising of contexts that used to be disconnected, but now they work together to
insure illicit profits, like in the case of the so called “Terra dei fuochi”, land of
fires (an area between the provinces of Napoli and Caserta).

The “Land of Fires” is a large area of Campania, the Italian region whose
main city is Naples, where the landfill disposal of dangerous waste, managed by
the ‘Camorra’ (local organised crime) on behalf of entrepreneurs from
Northern Italy, has compromised the state of health of the soil and of the
waters, going as far as to cause a ban on the use of certain agricultural produce
and farmed animals.

The area of criminality involving waste disposal is particularly relevant,
both for the extent of the phenomenon and for its impact on the business
world and on public health.

The trafficking of waste involves numerous criminal organizations, e.g.
the Casalesi clan, which runs the illicit management of thousands of tons of
plastic, textiles, iron and electronic waste with illicit earnings measured in mil-
lions of Euros.

The new crimes introduced by the Law 68/2015 offer new opportunities
to confront the problem, but, at the same time, demand an increasing level of
scientific and technical competence. This is certainly a challenge that the Italian
Police Forces are ready to meet, with their network of investigators and scien-
tific instructors that are already active collaborating in investigations by territo-
rial units. The network of investigative units at provincial level is the connec-
ting link of the Control Stations operating in the territory and it shall coordi-
nate with the central units scientifically and technically as well, since a rapid
exam of the matrices can ensure a turning point in the actions against crimina-
lity.

Cooperation with the Customs Agency has allowed the State Forestry
Department to trace the leading players in the trafficking of numerous criminal
organisations even abroad, and to identify the trans-national routes for illicitly
managed waste destined to other countries (like China, North Africa, Taiwan,
Hong Kong) as well as alerting some countries in the corridors (e.g. Slovenia).

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