Italy Police Discover Over €3m Hidden in Walls of Alleged Drug Lord’s Home

Italian police have uncovered more than €3 million in cash hidden inside the walls of a house in Caivano, near Naples, during an investigation into an alleged drug-trafficking network.

Naples Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri told AFP that the raid also led to the seizure of Kalashnikov rifles, other weapons and 11 Rolex watches. The discoveries were linked to a wider investigation into an alleged armed criminal organisation operating using mafia methods.

The investigation began in 2023 and culminated on Monday with the arrest of 34 people accused of belonging to the criminal group and trafficking narcotics. Police had seized the cash and weapons from the Caivano property last year after receiving information from a suspect who was arrested in July 2025 and later became a state witness.

Gratteri said investigators knew cash was hidden inside the house but initially did not know its exact location. Police dismantled parts of the property and found bundles of money concealed in compartments built into the walls, as well as beneath the floor and shower tray.

According to information cited by local media, the property was allegedly being used to store proceeds from drug trafficking, with electronic security systems reportedly protecting the hidden areas. Investigators had focused on Caivano because of its reputation as a centre for large-scale drug dealing, particularly cocaine.

Gratteri said investigators believed the cash represented proceeds from drug sales, with some of the money allegedly intended to finance further purchases of narcotics. The Camorra, the organised crime network centred around Naples, is one of Italy’s three major mafia groups alongside Sicily’s Cosa Nostra and Calabria’s ‘Ndrangheta.

The prosecutor also stressed the importance of police wiretaps in organised crime investigations and criticised restrictions introduced by the Italian government on the use of intercepted communications. He argued that investigators needed greater investment in surveillance technology to tackle organised criminal networks.

Caivano attracted national attention in 2023 after the reported sexual assault of two young cousins by other youths. The government subsequently announced measures including investment in the area’s sports facilities, additional social workers and a new police station. Gratteri said the drug trade had continued despite the intervention and argued that similar efforts were needed across Italy.