Italian police arrest 644 young people in nationwide crackdown on youth crime

A national tally

Italian police reported 644 arrests across the country, 69 of them minors, in a coordinated youth crime operation that ran over roughly two weeks and was reported on 2 November 2026. Officers from 106 Squadre Mobili checked 236,138 young people, including 23,060 minors, mainly in drug-dealing areas and nightlife spots. The 644 total equals 575 adult arrests plus the 69 minors, while other accounts give 575 arrests including 69 minors and one headline speaks of more than 600. Another 1,695 people were reported to the judicial authorities while at liberty, 373 of them minors.

Adults arrested575

Minors arrested69

Minors reported373

All people reported1,695

Adults arrested

575 people

Minors arrested

69 people

Minors reported

373 people

All people reported

1695 people

Data from the article text

Drugs and weapons seized

Investigators seized 69.4 kg of cocaine, 174.8 kg of cannabinoids and 328.44 g of heroin, along with smaller amounts of ecstasy, ketamine, amphetamines and benzodiazepines. In the province of Foggia, investigators uncovered crack houses that served as makeshift workshops for turning cocaine into crack. Searches turned up 28 firearms, 210 bladed weapons and 25 other objects capable of causing harm, including six screwdrivers, two baseball bats and two telescopic batons. Officers also recovered stolen goods such as gold necklaces, tablets, phones and clothing, plus 269,863 euro in cash. Administrative sanctions totalled 1,394, in particular for drug use, road traffic violations and breaches of rules for public premises.

Turin and Ancona

In Turin, the mobile squad made 65 arrests in flagrante, five of them minors, and reported 206 people, including 26 minors. The Turin operation also included two detentions, seven custody orders and seven arrests to enforce sentences. Officers seized about 7 kg of cocaine, 77 kg of cannabinoids, a Molotov cocktail, 50 cartridges, four bladed weapons and about 16,000 euro in cash. For three profiles identified in the Turin metropolitan area, a request has been made for takedown over violent content and displays of weapons. In the province of Ancona, police made nine arrests and reported 37 people, seizing 176.2 g of cocaine, 6,383 g of cannabinoids and 151 g of heroin. Officers stopped and checked 2,366 people, 359 of them minors, and inspected 534 vehicles.

Social media and the October unrest

Il Fatto Quotidiano links the operation to clashes in Italian cities on 17 October during cost-of-living protests, and says investigators had been focusing on chat groups and social networks since mid-October. Police in Padua searched homes on 15 October and reported eight boys to prosecutors, while Daspo measures were imposed on 14 other young people. According to a police statement, violent actions were being planned on the eve of the 16 October student protest, including setting bins alight, wearing face coverings, carrying a pistol and fireworks, attacking the questura and looting a shop.

Andrea Olivadese, an official at the Servizio centrale operativo (Sco), described the focus of the work:

“Particular attention was paid to social networks and to closing websites, searching for unlawful content or content that in any case praised violent behaviour.”

Government response

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni congratulated the Polizia di Stato on the operation, which she described as a wide effort across the national territory that led to hundreds of arrests, thousands of reports and large seizures of drugs and weapons. She said:

“We cannot resign ourselves to the idea that violence, abuse and crime become normal behaviour, especially among the young.”

Her statement also thanked officers for their professionalism and dedication to public service. She said the state would keep acting to ensure citizens the right to live in safe cities and neighbourhoods. The figures cover the two-week period of the operation as reported on 2 November 2026.