Italy Police Seize 14 Metric Tonnes Of Drug Worth USD 1.12 Billion

 - Sakshi Post

ROME: In the world's largest drug bust, Italy police have seized 14 metric tonnes (15.4 US tonnes) of amphetaminethe which is allegedly produced by terror group ISIS in Syria.

The bust is claimed to be the world's largest in terms of its value and also quantity, according to a US channel.

Police said that officers tracked three suspicious containers to the port of Salerno in southwest Italy. They also found 84 million pills with a market value of EUR 1 billion (USD 1.12 billion) inside paper cylinders for industrial use.

"We weren't able to see them but we knew it was arriving because of our ongoing investigations we have with the Camorra (Italian organized crime group)...We intercepted phone calls and members, so we knew what to expect," Commander Domenico Napolitano, head of the financial police for the city of Naples, was quoted saying.

The pills were marked with 'Captagon' logo which means the drug of jihad.

"According to the DEA (US Drug Enforcement Administration), ISIS makes wide use of these drugs in all the territories over which it exerts influence and controls its sale."

"It is known that ISIS/Daesh finances its terrorist activities in large part with the trafficking of synthetic drugs produced largely in Syria, which has become the leading world producer of amphetamines in recent years," police said.

Meanwhile, police suspect that a number of criminal groups are likely to be behind it as traffickers would not send it all at once.

"This is remarkable evidence of the 'nexus' between terror financing and organized crime interests," Brigadier General Gabriele Failla, head of the financial police in Naples was quoted saying.

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