“Fentanyl is not a traffic limited to the US,” explained Mantovano during the presentation at Palazzo Chigi of the ‘National Plan of prevention against the improper use of fentanyl and other synthetic opiates’.
“Our intelligence signals an interest of ‘Ndrangheta, even if they are just testing the market to verify the advantages of their involvement.”
Mantovano described fentanyl, which has ravaged the USA, as “the zombie drug, with as little as 1-2 milligrams potentially being lethal”.
He said there had been “bad teachers” feeding the epidemic in the US, including rappers.
Health Minister Orazio Schillaci announced more controls to keep fentanyl out of Italian users’ hands while Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said “we’ll start off from teacher training to fight fentanyl”.
Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said “fentanyl has not arrived in Italy yet, but it is a looming threat to our youth”.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said a national plan was needed to “ward off the spread of fentanyl”.
ANSA
