Drug pusher held hostage over unpaid drug deal, freed in Syracuse by special forces raid.

Last Updated: June 24, 2024

An unpaid debt for a drug deal, 4 kilograms of marijuana, went unresolved and allegedly led to a shootout between two rival gangs in Scicli on the evening of June 20. The group owed the money, coming from Siracusa, reportedly fired two shots at the rival gang members who did not pay and kidnapped one of them as collateral for the debt. The motive and sequence of events were reconstructed by the carabinieri of the Investigative Unit of Ragusa and the Modica company, who discovered the hideout where the hostage, a 19-year-old North African resident of Modica, was held. They conducted a raid in Siracusa with special Arm units, arresting the 17-year-old kidnapper. The 19-year-old was one of the young drug dealers operating in the Ragusa area, between Modica and Scicli, who had obtained 4 kilograms of marijuana worth about 15,000 euros from the Siracusa group but failed to pay. The retaliation occurred with the shootout on June 20 when the Siracusa group met with the debtors, fired shots, and kidnapped the 19-year-old hostage until the debt was repaid. The carabinieri arrested the accomplice of the 19-year-old the following day, a 20-year-old North African resident of Modica, who had the seized 4 kilograms of marijuana. Further investigations led to the discovery of the hostage’s hideout, a house in the center of Siracusa. The carabinieri organized a raid with various special units from Livorno, Catania, and Sigonella, ultimately freeing the hostage and arresting his captor, a 17-year-old from Siracusa. The young man, who was in good health upon his release, was hospitalized in Umberto I Hospital in Siracusa for a shoulder wound inflicted by his kidnappers during the gang clash in Scicli.