Elmas, a tourist's luggage contains "memories" of the island: stalactites taken from a protected area and fragments of quartzite.
The man, an Austrian, was charged with the criminal offence of "destruction or deterioration of habitat within a protected site."(Photo courtesy)
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Quartzite and stalactites in hand luggage, all taken from protected areas .
These are the memories that an Austrian tourist, stopped at the boarding gate at Elmas airport , wanted to take away from the island.
During routine airport security checks, materials of naturalistic interest were found in the luggage of a tourist departing for Vienna: in particular, two fragments of stalactites and five fragments of quartzite.
From the investigations carried out and from the statements made by the tourist, it emerged that the stalactites were removed from the Biddiriscottai Cave, in Cala Gonone, an area located in a karst complex protected under the regional law of 2007, the quartzite fragments from a path in the Samugheo area .
The judicial authorities were informed of the incident and ordered the seizure of the material found by staff from the Italian Monopolies Agency, along with the Guardia di Finanza, the State Police, and Sogaer personnel.
The alleged crime is that provided for by Article 733-bis of the Criminal Code ("Destruction or deterioration of habitats within a protected site") . The finds are currently held at the offices of the Customs and Monopolies Agency – Local Detachment at Cagliari Airport, at the disposal of the proceeding Judicial Authority.
(Unioneonline)