1.5 kg of drugs seized from an upholstery shop in Catania, a 24-year-old arrested.

A kilo and a half of cocaine hidden in the back of a wallpaper. The protagonist of this story is a 24-year-old Catanian, with a prior conviction for property crimes, who was arrested by the State Police for possession with intent to sell, without prejudice to the presumption of innocence that applies now and until a final conviction.

As part of their efforts to prevent and combat widespread illegal activity and drug dealing, officers from the Catania Police Headquarters' canine unit, along with a patrol car from the Flying Squad, currently engaged in specific territorial control operations, conducted an inspection in the San Cristoforo neighborhood.

In particular, the police's attention was focused on a textile workshop in the Santa Maria delle Salette area, since the drug-sniffing dog "Ares" sniffed out the presence of narcotics.

At that point, to further investigate the case, the officers attempted to locate the owner. Shortly thereafter, the shop owner's son, a 24-year-old, arrived and allowed the officers to search the premises. Inside the lab, the dog Ares immediately found the drugs hidden in a large blue bag, kept in a closet.

Specifically, seven vacuum-packed packages containing cocaine, totaling nearly 1.5 kilos, were found and seized. In addition to the drugs, officers found €100 in cash, a precision scale, and various equipment used to divide the drug into doses for resale to potential buyers. Among the seized items was mannitol, a substance often used by dealers to "dilute" drugs.

The young man took responsibility for what was found and the police, after having photographed him at the offices of the Forensic Police, arrested him and accompanied him to his home where he will have to remain under house arrest, as ordered by the Public Prosecutor, pending the validation hearing before the investigating judge.