Italian police crackdown on informal settlements

In late July 2026, Italian police carried out a targeted eviction in Rome’s San Basilio district, clearing a squat occupied by people of Sinti ethnicity, seizing 46 LPG cylinders and returning the property to its owner. A simultaneous raid in the Tor Cervara district uncovered a large drug‑storage operation, leading to the seizure of heroin, crack, cocaine, hashish and related chemicals, and the identification of 30 occupants, including several foreign nationals slated for repatriation.

A week later, the operation expanded into a coordinated nationwide sweep of informal settlements and Romani camps. In Rome, nine foreign nationals were arrested and 621 people identified; in San Ferdinando, Reggio Calabria, 12 irregular foreigners were expelled, 42 people taken to police stations, and 60 tents and numerous knives seized. Additional actions in Casoria, Bari and Bitonto resulted in further arrests and identifications. Across Italy, the crackdown produced 10 arrests, 14 expulsions, over 1,100 identifications, seizure of €3,500 in cash, three tonnes of material linked to begging and drug‑dealing, and extensive vehicle checks.