Nigerian drug trafficking network dismantled, using “mules” to smuggle drugs into Italy

The Italian Police dismantled this Tuesday in Vicenza (north) an international criminal network dedicated to the trafficking of cocaine and heroin and has arrested 20 Nigerians who introduced the drugs into Italy from the Netherlands through “mules” who ingested ovules with the illicit substances. The organization used “mules” to transport the drugs, which crossed France on passenger trains before arriving in Italy, where the narcotics were distributed in the Veneto and Lombardy regions (north), the carabinieri (Italian militarized police) reported in a note this Tuesday. The “mules” swallowed between 10 and 11 grams of cocaine or heroin in each heat-sealed ovule, transporting approximately one kilogram of drugs per person.

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Furthermore, each ovule bore an initialism that identified the final buyer, which allowed authorities to trace the local distribution network. The investigation made it possible to identify the supplier in the Netherlands, the promoter in Italy who coordinated the operations, the network of “mules” and a group of local distributors in charge of packaging and selling the drugs at retail. During the searches, accounting notebooks were seized that documented daily income and international transfers to Nigeria for tens of thousands of euros. The 20 detainees, aged between 25 and 57 years old, remain in pre-trial detention by order of the investigating judge of the Venice Court, who highlighted the “high dangerousness” of the group and the risk of flight, considering the numerous criminal records of some of the members of the organization. In the operation, called “Marshall”, more than 300 carabinieri have participated.