Officers from the Sansepolcro police station’s anti-crime unit uncovered a cannabis-growing operation intended for narcotic-drug production.[1][2] The 55-year-old Italian man investigated was already known to law enforcement for previous offences.[1]

The investigation began after suspicious movements in the area were documented through targeted checks and photographic stakeouts.[1][2] Police reached the man following several reports from neighbours who were suspicious about strange movements in the area.[3] Police found that the man personally handled both cultivation and processing, with some plants still growing on a plot of his own land.[1][2][3] Searches of nearby sheds found additional plants that had been cut and hung up to dry.[1][2] A search of his vehicle found a cellophane package containing numerous cannabis inflorescences.[1][2][3]

All of the drugs found were seized and placed at the disposal of the judicial authority.[1][2] He was reported while at liberty for violating Article 73(1), which punishes unauthorised cultivation and production of narcotic or psychotropic substances.[1][2] The State Police seized the plants and inflorescences found during the checks, including material hidden in the man’s car.[4]