The “Evil Dwarf” was helped by a Carabiniere. The investigation reveals possible “bad apples” in the force

A drug trafficking ring that started from Gargano and extended over a good part of the Adriatic coast, with an operational base in the municipalities of Foggia and branches between Lesina, Cerignola, Molise and Abruzzo. Eleven people were arrested, at the end of an investigation coordinated by the prosecutor's office and resulting in a 102-page order signed by the preliminary investigations judge Bencivenga .

At the top of the group, according to what emerges from the documents, there is Elidon Buxheli, 48 years old, an Albanian citizen known as “The Evil Dwarf” , accused of directing the cocaine supply and distribution operations, supported by a well-structured organization accustomed to operating with methods typical of organized crime: encrypted telephones, video surveillance systems, car searches, coded languages.

The role of a carabiniere

What is causing discussion is above all a passage in the ordinance that documents the collaboration with a member of the police force , a carabiniere serving in the province of Foggia (Alto Tavoliere). The man – it says – “had telephone and personal relationships” with some members of the group, to whom he provided useful information , suggesting for example how to react after finding a GPS under a car or when to decontaminate cars to avoid being monitored.

An episode dating back to March 21, 2024 tells of a conversation between the associates intercepted by the police, in which they discussed the device found on a car, with the instruction to leave it in place to understand who would then recover it.

Suspicious Encounters and Cryptic Messages

Many of the suspects were monitored thanks to surveillance cameras and environmental interceptions. In one of the reconstructed episodes, dating back to May 2024, a meeting was documented in Lesina, under the home of one of those arrested, between the latter and a man believed to be close to the organization. In another case, in the previous March, the cameras filmed the carabiniere's Mercedes parked near the home of Angelo Di Nauta, 41, another of those arrested. The two greeted each other, looked around and walked away, a sign – according to investigators – of a planned and cautious meeting.

Also noteworthy are some WhatsApp messages sent in the days immediately following. In one of these, the carabiniere writes: “Last night I wanted to tell you that a drone was flying over… in that area… but you didn’t respond… I wanted you to look out of your attic”.

A large and branched organization

According to the reconstruction by the investigating judge Bencivenga, the group was composed of several operational cells , with trusted figures and distinct tasks: some took care of transport, some of retail sales, some of logistics. One of the key figures, next to the “Evil Dwarf”, was also a man indicated as a point of reference for the sale of cocaine in Cerignola , while the presence of several other “characters” involved in the trafficking was reported, some of whom had criminal records and ties to the business world.

The operation, still in its development phase, represents one of the largest crackdowns on drug trafficking in the Gargano area in recent months , with judicial implications that could extend beyond the eleven arrests already made.

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