On 18 February 2025, the Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza of Reggio Calabria, in collaboration with the Customs and Monopolies Agency, seized a shipment of 788 kilograms of pure cocaine. This quantity, once introduced to the market, would have been worth over €126 million. The drugs arrived at the port of Gioia Tauro in two separate containers from South America: in one instance, the cocaine bricks were concealed within hundreds of sacks of pellets; in another, the drugs were hidden in a compartment created in the engine space of a refrigerated container carrying frozen fish.
The operation is the result of an action plan to intensify inspections across the entire port area of Gioia Tauro. The aim is to identify, among the thousands of containers handled daily, those used for the illicit transport of narcotics. Through a meticulous risk analysis and thorough monitoring of the port premises, three suspicious containers were selected, originating from South America and destined for ports in Italy and Spain.
The inspection operations involved the use of radiographic scanning equipment, provided by the Customs and Monopolies Agency, and the deployment of specialised canine units from the Guardia di Finanza of Gioia Tauro. This seizure demonstrates that the port of Gioia Tauro, due to its strategic position in the Mediterranean, continues to be a critical point for both legal trade and illicit activities. Furthermore, this operation highlights the increasing sophistication of techniques employed by drug traffickers to evade controls.
