Hazardous waste shipped by the ton in Africa

Hazardous waste shipped by the ton in Africa. "They are gifts for the non-profit organization"
The Guardia di Finanza di Modena has discovered and dismantled a criminal organization that was sending illegally special and hazardous waste in Africa, passing them off as real fruit collections of solidarity. The base was right in Modena, but the organization had ramifications in other areas of Italy, especially in the north. They were involved carriers, customs brokers, porters, crane operators and others: all together, using their own corporate structures, sent off in Africa tons of special and hazardous waste in containers. The investigation, dubbed "Clean up", was launched in June 2012, coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Bologna, and has allowed us to identify four storage sites in Emilia-Romagna and mainly in Modena. Here that were piled old monitors, computers, printers as well as thousands of appliances, machines demolished, car batteries exhausted, fire extinguishers, tires: they were then loaded onto containers, shipped to the port of Genoa and sent to Africa (mainly Ghana and Nigeria).

The GDF, in a statement, said that according to a UN study, only a third of this merchandise would be directed to the recovery and recycling, while most, having traveled between the materials 'in order' to evade customs controls ends up in uncontrolled landfills, abandoned mines and gravel pits. Moreover, the criminal organization operated even "customized" by placing empty containers in locations specified by the clients and providing then collect them: it happened mainly in the province of Modena but also in Bologna, Reggio Emilia, Ferrara, Ravenna, Piacenza , Forli-Cesena, in Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont and Lazio.

Usually the containers were loaded on the weekends and at night to avoid suspicion and reduce the risks of being discovered. The investigators also found that, to overcome border controls, the organization made ​​use of two non-profit organization, created to projects of solidarity with the peoples of Africa, but in fact set up to ensure a formal coverage trafficking, through the issuance of invoices pro -forma documents relating to the exports. The large quantities of waste destined for disposal at the time of customs control, "were passed for donations to poor people in Africa. With this system, well thought out and tested-yellow flames explain the organization was able to send by sea to the African continent about 50 containers per month, going to further fuel the dangerous illegal trafficking of hazardous waste, whose business sees clearly in the interests of African traffickers also well organized and that Italy, with its companies regularly constituted , tracking down waste in a capillary. "

Only one of the non-profit organization identified as having performed more than 1,000 shipments from 2010 to 2013. Upon completion of the survey were reported 41 people, who for various reasons, for conspiracy to traffic illegal waste management and illegal dumping of waste special and dangerous. Were also performed four orders of remand under house arrest in respect of the main promoters of the disposal system, seized the four storage sites and vehicles used for illegal activity.
Source 'Agency Dire "" www.dire.it »