Catania‑Malta drug trafficking network dismantled in Operation “Abisso”
Italian financial police (Guardia di Finanza) in Catania have placed six alleged traffickers in preventive detention as part of the ongoing “Abisso” investigation. The suspects are accused of production, trafficking and illegal possession of cocaine, hashish and marijuana.
The operation targets a criminal association linked to the Cappello‑Bonaccorsi clan in Catania and the Santa Panagia clan in Siracusa. Investigators say the group organised shipments of narcotics between the province of Catania and Malta, using established smuggling routes. Evidence includes a failed plan to recover about two tonnes of cocaine off the Catanian coast and a seizure of assets worth roughly €700,000, comprising cash, vehicles and real estate.
The latest measures bring the total number of individuals placed under precautionary custody to 21 since the first wave of arrests on 12 June, and the authorities have also seized large quantities of drugs and documented the network’s role in supplying the “Borgata” faction of the Santa Panagia clan.