Operation against drug trafficking, launched at dawn and coordinated by the Anti-Mafia District Directorate of Ancona. Sixty carabinieri are in action in the provinces of Macerata and Cosenza for the execution of 9 precautionary measures issued by the investigating judge of Ancona, against a criminal group. The crime of association aimed at illicit trafficking of narcotic substances was contested. The soldiers of the Provincial Command of Macerata have been mobilised, assisted by personnel from the Provincial Commands of Ancona, Fermo and Cosenza, the Dog Unit of Pesaro and the 5 Carabinieri Helicopter Unit of Pescara.
Operation “Potentia”: the complaint of an exasperated mother
The «Potentia» operation – from the ancient name of Potenza Picena – was triggered following investigations into the operational part of the Civitanova Marche company, conducted from March 2024 to September 2025, which started from the complaint of an exasperated mother due to the continuous requests for money from her drug-addicted son. The leader of the group had contacted her directly to intimidate her and force her to pay the debts incurred by the boy.
Even unsuspecting professionals among customers. At the top is a Calabrian “son” of the ‘Ndrangheta
Investigators have reconstructed a vast cocaine dealing network that supplied regular consumers, including ordinary citizens and unsuspecting professionals, in the bustling coastal areas of Potenza Picena and Civitanova Marche. At the top is a criminal of Calabrian origins, well rooted in the area, whose family moved to Porto Potenza Picena in the 1990s: his father was affiliated with the ‘Ndrangheta. Together with him, his brother, with a coordinating role, and his wife, owner of a well-known tobacco shop, who acted as collector of the proceeds of drug dealing, ended up in prison.
The organizers, the performers, the custodians
Six other offenders had functions of organisation, execution, custody of the narcotic and supply. The drug dealers used the technique of itinerant drug dealing, changing meeting places and using WhatsApp with coded language.
They had identified four supply channels attributable to people of Albanian and North African origin and to Campania organized crime. The group, according to the investigators, exercised tight control of the territory, knew the license plates of the unmarked police vehicles and could count on supporters ready to raise the alarm.
The attack on the ATM in Recanati was foiled
The investigations led to five flagrant arrests, the seizure of 300 grams of cocaine and two kilos of hashish and marijuana, and the dispute of approximately 200 sales of narcotics. An attempted robbery with explosives at an ATM in Recanati (Macerata) was also foiled. During the operations, three weapons with abraded serial number were seized: two rifles, a revolver and a 9×21 caliber Beretta pistol with 80 bullets.