5 'maranzas' cited in blitz against youth gangs in Trastevere

Five 'maranzas' - mostly

second-generation North African youth wannabe gangsta rappers

and petty street criminals - were cited in an overnight blitz

against youth gangs in the scenic and touristy Roman suburb of

Trastevere, police said Tuesday.

The government is set to unveil an 'anti-maranza' crackdown at a

cabinet meeting later Tuesday.

The majority of these youth toughs operate in northern Italian

cities like Milan.

Carabinieri from the Trastevere Company, with the support of

colleagues from the Rome Mobile Radio Unit and the Centro

Company, conducted night checks in the heart of the historic

neighborhood.

The operation aimed to combat the phenomenon of youth gangs

engaged in harassment, violence, and petty crimes against

residents and visitors.

The operation, launched as part of the prevention strategies

implemented by the Rome Provincial Command of the Carabinieri,

in line with the Prefect's instructions, enabled the dismantling

of an organized group of young North Africans who were causing

tension in the neighborhood's alleys.

The Carabinieri intercepted and identified a compact group of 11

foreign nationals, all known for previous property and drug

crimes.

Following a shoving incident involving a young man on Ponte

Sisto, officers cited four young men, aged between 19 and 23,

two Tunisian and one Moroccan, to the Public Prosecutor's Office

for domestic violence, and a 22-year-old Algerian for

threatening and resisting a public official.

The same group also included two 17-year-old Tunisian minors,

who were taken off the street and, in consultation with the

Municipality's Social Operations Room, taken to a dedicated

shelter.

The other four members of the group, all adults and already

known to law enforcement, have been identified.

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