The agents of the Territorial Control Office of the Villa San Giovanni police station arrested a 43-year-old from Naples, held responsible for the crime of receiving stolen goods. The man was stopped during a normal checkpoint, together with an accomplice, while traveling in a car that had just disembarked from a ferry coming from Messina.
From the first moments of the check, the two men showed signs of nervousness and impatience, prompting the officers to subject them to a personal and vehicle search. The operation was successful: a pair of swimming shorts was found in the front fender of the car, inside which various gold jewellery, precious watches and banknotes were cleverly hidden.
Following the discovery, the younger accomplice, without documents, attempted to flee, losing track of himself. The driver was instead taken to the police station, where he was identified through photo identification carried out by the staff of the Regional Scientific Police Office of Reggio Calabria.
The investigations, conducted in collaboration with the Reggio Calabria flying squad, revealed that part of the goods found in the car were the result of a scam that took place in Catania, where an elderly woman had been deceived with the fake accident of her son. The scammers, still in the process of being identified, had induced the victim to hand over gold jewellery, watches and around 3,500 euros in cash.
After the usual formalities, the 43-year-old was arrested as a suspect of a crime for receiving stolen goods and transferred to the prison in Reggio Calabria, at the disposal of the Judicial Authority. The latter, after having validated the arrest, ordered precautionary custody in prison.
The operation was carried out in compliance with the right to freedom of the press and the rights of the suspects, who are presumed innocent until a final sentence ascertains their responsibilities. The trial will take place in cross-examination with the parties and the defenses before an impartial judge, and may even end with the acquittal of the suspects.
