A 25-year-old Albanian man has been arrested by the Carabinieri in the Riccione area, in the province of Rimini, on suspicion of possession of narcotics with the intent to distribute.

According to Italian authorities, the arrest came after an investigation launched as part of controls against drug trafficking along the coastal area. For several days, officers had been keeping the young man under surveillance, noting frequent movements between his apartment and several areas in the center of Cattolica, where he would meet briefly with various people.

During a control operation, the carabinieri stopped him while he was suspected of selling a dose of cocaine to another person.

After the arrest, the search was extended to the 25-year-old's apartment, where, with the help of anti-drug dogs from the Riccione Local Police, around 50 more doses of cocaine were found, separated and packaged for sale.

According to investigators, the drugs were hidden in a handbag and several pairs of shoes placed in a closet. During the search, materials for packaging the narcotic substance and around 1 euros in cash, suspected to have come from illegal activity, were also seized.

After the arrest, the young man was taken to the Rimini prison by order of the Public Prosecutor's Office, where he will remain at the disposal of the judicial authorities until the hearing for the assessment of the security measure.