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Italian prison contraband seizures

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2026-08-13 05:52 UTC → 2026-08-28 15:52 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In late July 2026, Italian prison police (Polizia Penitenziaria) conducted targeted inspections at San Severo and Turin prisons, confiscating roughly ten mobile phones and highlighting prisons as hubs for drug and phone smuggling. Union representatives called for more staff and technology to curb contraband. A week later, in early August, a larger operation at Napoli’s Poggioreale prison seized 20 smartphones across three wings, while agents at Rossano prison in Calabria uncovered over 700 grams of a suspected narcotic and an additional hidden phone. Union officials again urged increased resources and advanced detection tools, underscoring the persistent and expanding challenge of contraband smuggling within Italian penitentiaries. In mid-August, authorities at Avellino prison seized a mobile phone and SIM card following an extraordinary search. The operation, which involved personnel from the General Surveillance and Prison Police, occurred after suspicions arose that an inmate was using the device in the restroom area to communicate with his wife. The Autonomous Prison Police Union (SAPPE) noted that such unauthorized devices pose a significant threat to security by allowing inmates to organize illicit activities or maintain criminal control from within the institution. By late August, further seizures occurred at the Uccella prison in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, where police recovered 10 smartphones from the Tamigi high-security ward. In a separate incident at the Airola Juvenile Detention Center, officers seized two mobile phones after an inmate attempted to dispose of one by throwing it from a cell window. Following these events, SAPPE representatives argued that staff vigilance alone is insufficient, urging the Ministry of Justice to provide advanced tools such as metal detectors, body scanners, and anti-drone systems.

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