Tuscany: Stolen prescriptions and narcotics: four precautionary measures

A complex illicit network based on the use of stolen medical prescriptions, stolen stamps from medical devices, opioid drugs, and narcotic medications has been reconstructed by the Carabinieri of the Anti-Adulteration and Healthcare Unit of Florence. Following a complex investigation, coordinated by the Pistoia Public Prosecutor's Office, on July 13, 2026, precautionary measures were taken against four individuals under investigation.

The investigation, carried out with the support of the Pistoia and Lucca provincial Carabinieri commands, involved several Tuscan locations and is said to have uncovered an active network spanning the provinces of Pistoia, Florence, and Lucca , with the alleged use of over 500 stolen medical prescriptions and the theft of drugs and medical devices from public facilities.

The investigation started with the fentanyl controls

The investigative activity began in 2025, as part of the control campaign launched to combat the illicit use of fentanyl , a powerful synthetic opioid used in healthcare to treat particularly intense forms of pain.

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During some routine checks carried out at pharmacies in the province of Pistoia, the NAS military had found numerous prescriptions from the National Health Service, the so-called "red prescriptions" , used for the prescription of medicines, including drugs subject to the regulations on narcotic substances.

The documentation immediately attracted the attention of investigators, who began a series of investigations with the collaboration of the Local Health Authority of Tuscany Central.

Prescriptions filled out with falsified stamps and data

The investigations revealed that several prescriptions had been filled using a system designed to bypass pharmacies' checks. The prescriptions were stamped in the names of doctors other than the ones to whom the prescriptions had originally been issued.

Further investigations also revealed that both the prescription pads and some of the stamps used were stolen. The material was apparently stolen from the hospital in Pescia , in the province of Pistoia.

The prescriptions also allegedly listed fictitious names as recipients of the drugs. These names, however, were associated with actual tax codes, with the aim, according to the investigation's hypothesis, of making it more difficult to identify anomalies during summary checks.

Over 500 prescriptions used in three provinces

The overall analysis of the acquired material would have allowed the identification of over 500 stolen prescriptions , used in numerous pharmacies located in the provinces of Pistoia, Florence and Lucca.

These prescriptions allegedly served to obtain various types of medicines, primarily narcotics. The total value of the dispensed products was estimated at over €44 , almost entirely covered by the National Health Service.

The medicines were allegedly delivered by pharmacies without the cost being passed on directly to those who filled the prescriptions, causing, according to investigators, significant economic damage to the public healthcare system.

A couple residing in Altopascio has been identified.

Preliminary investigations continued by obtaining statements from pharmacists, analyzing telephone records, examining social media profiles, and reviewing video surveillance recordings.

Investigators also conducted several photographic identifications. The evidence gathered led to an engaged couple, aged 34 and 32 , originally from Pescia and living in Altopascio, in the province of Lucca.

According to the NAS's reconstruction, the two allegedly presented prescriptions at numerous pharmacies in the three provinces involved in the investigation, obtaining opioid medicines and other controlled products.

Opioids, drugs and stamps found in the house

An initial search carried out in 2025 at the couple's home allegedly led to the discovery of opioid drugs , substances believed to be cocaine and marijuana, tools used for weighing and packaging narcotics, and three stamps registered to three doctors.

The names of the health professionals listed on the stamps were found to be the same as those used to fill out some of the prescriptions presented in the pharmacies. These prescriptions were used primarily to obtain OxyContin , an oxycodone-based drug used in pain management and characterized by strong opioid effects.

The availability of the stamps would have been a key element of the investigation, as it would have allowed the suspects to make the prescriptions used to collect the medicines appear legitimate.

Smartphone analysis and the alleged supplier

A key role was played by the computer search of the devices used by the couple. The analysis of telephones and communications allowed investigators to reconstruct the alleged channel through which the stolen prescription pads and stamps were obtained.

Attention focused on a 50-year-old man , originally from Ponte Buggianese and living in Montecatini Terme, already known to the police. At the time of the incident, he worked for a cooperative responsible for managing some services within the Pescia hospital.

According to the investigation, his work would have allowed him to move more easily within the healthcare facility and to gain possession of the material used to fill the prescriptions.

Prescriptions and stamps in exchange for medicines

The fifty-year-old allegedly gave the couple stolen prescriptions and stamps, receiving narcotic drugs as compensation. Investigators documented at least 17 incidents in which the stolen material was exchanged for medications.

To avoid direct encounters, the suspects allegedly took special precautions. Prescriptions, stamps, and medications were allegedly hidden inside an abandoned vehicle, parked along a public road.

The vehicle would be used as a temporary storage facility: one person would leave the material in the car and the other would retrieve it later. The system was intended to reduce the risk of exchange participants being spotted together.

The second channel for drug supply

An examination of the couple's smartphones also revealed another channel used to obtain narcotic drugs. The two were found to be in contact with a 37-year-old man , originally from Mistretta, in the province of Messina, and resident in Monsummano Terme.

The man worked at Estar , the regional technical-administrative support agency that performs, among other functions, the role of a single point of contact for the purchasing of drugs and medical devices for the Tuscan healthcare system.

Due to his role, the employee is considered a public service employee. According to the investigation, he allegedly established an illicit relationship with the couple that continued over time.

Drugs stolen from the Estar warehouse in Calenzano

Following an alleged corrupt agreement and based on the couple's requests, the employee allegedly stole narcotic drugs and medical devices stored in the Estar warehouse in Calenzano , in the province of Florence, on several occasions.

Based on their investigations, investigators have reconstructed over 70 alleged incidents of embezzlement . The employee allegedly handed the couple more than one hundred packages of medicines and other medical products stolen from the public warehouse.

The transactions were reportedly made in exchange for sums ranging from 10 to 70 euros . The total value of the stolen goods was estimated at approximately 4 euros.

More than 40 alleged sales to drug addicts

According to the prosecution, some of the medicines obtained through stolen prescriptions or through the Estar employee were intended for sale to people with drug addiction problems living in the area.

During the investigation, over 40 narcotics sales were discovered. Investigators therefore believe that some of the drugs removed from the regular healthcare system were placed on a parallel illicit market.

The Pistoia Prosecutor's Office has charged the suspects, on various counts, with various acts related to the theft of prescription pads, the filling of prescriptions, corruption, embezzlement, and the sale of controlled substances and medicines.

The request for precautionary measures and seizures

Based on the evidence gathered, the Pistoia Public Prosecutor's Office has requested the preliminary investigations judge to impose precautionary measures against the four suspects.

Furthermore, the precautionary seizure, including the equivalent amount, of the sums believed to be attributable to the price of the corruption and the alleged proceeds from the sale of medicines and narcotics was requested.

The precautionary measure concerned financial assets considered to be connected to the conduct under investigation.

The new searches of June 23, 2026

On June 23, 2026, the suspects were served with summonses to appear for preliminary questioning. On the same day, warrants for personal, home, and computer searches were executed.

In the home of the couple living in Altopascio, the military reportedly found a package of fentanyl , which had previously been delivered by the Estar employee living in Monsummano Terme.

A total of over 250 drugs and medical devices were found in the thirty-seven-year-old's home . At least some of the material, according to investigations, appeared to have come from the Estar warehouse in Calenzano.

Bank accounts seized

Also on June 23, the precautionary seizure order issued by the Pistoia preliminary investigations judge at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office was executed.

Approximately one thousand euros were placed under seizure for each member of the Altopascio couple and approximately 1.500 euros attributable to the Estar employee.

The sums were seized as part of investigations aimed at identifying the presumed price of the corrupt conduct and the possible proceeds of the disputed sales.

Financial transactions considered suspicious

The asset checks carried out on the Estar employee also revealed some financial transactions deemed suspicious by investigators.

Six people, not under investigation in the main proceedings, are alleged to have made payments totaling more than €10.500 using a payment instrument used by the thirty-seven-year-old, but formally registered to another person.

To clarify the origin of the money, searches were also carried out on the six individuals on June 23 and their statements were taken.

Statements on traditional narcotics

The people interviewed by the Carabinieri reportedly reported having purchased various narcotic substances from the Estar employee, including heroin, cocaine and hashish.

Several packages of methadone were also found in the home of one of the uninvestigated individuals. Based on statements immediately gathered, these medications had also previously been sold by the thirty-seven-year-old resident of Monsummano Terme.

These elements have broadened the investigative framework, leading to the hypothesis that the suspect was not only involved in the theft of drugs and medical devices from public warehouses, but also in the sale of traditional narcotics.

The interrogations before the judge

The preliminary interrogations of the suspects took place on June 30, 2026. At the end of the proceedings, the preliminary investigations judge of the Pistoia Court evaluated the evidence presented by the Prosecutor's Office and the statements made by the persons involved.

The judge therefore ordered differentiated precautionary measures, calibrated to the individual positions and the conduct provisionally contested.

House arrest for Estar employee

The thirty-seven-year-old resident of Monsummano Terme was placed under house arrest.

The other three suspects, including the two members of the couple living in Altopascio and the fifty-year-old man connected to the Pescia hospital, were ordered to remain in their municipality of residence, to stay at their home overnight, and to report to the judicial police.

The measurements were carried out on July 13, 2026, by the Carabinieri of the NAS of Florence, with the support of the military of the provincial commands of Pistoia and Lucca.