In the heart of the Crotone hinterland, among the areas of inestimable landscape and environmental value that safeguard the biodiversity of the area, silent degradation was taking place. This is what was discovered during the morning of September 24th in Cotronei, where the constant control and protection of the territory conducted by the Carabinieri brought to light an illegal open-air landfill.
At the end of meticulous investigations, the soldiers of the local station, flanked and supported by the specialized personnel of the “Park” Carabinieri Unit of the same municipality and of the Forestry Carabinieri Unit of Petilia Policastro, released a 58-year-old man, already known to the Police, held responsible for the illicit management and abandonment of dangerous waste.
The operation revealed a scenario of serious neglect: within a piece of land covering approximately 1,000 square meters – falling within the “Marchesato and Fiume Neto” special protection area – an uncontrolled deposit of special waste, both dangerous and non-hazardous, had been set up. Among the wreckage of end-of-life vehicles, disused household appliances, worn tires and piles of plastic and ferrous material, the area had been transformed into a receptacle for waste.
Faced with the violation and the need to protect the ecosystem, the military proceeded with the immediate seizure of the entire area, stopping further environmental damage in its tracks.
These activities in close collaboration with the Prosecutor of the Republic of Crotone, Dr. Domenico Guarascio also continue to be included among those priority objectives indicated by the Judicial Authority which have the aim of protecting the territory and combating all those illicit activities capable of causing harm to the environment.