They disembark from the ferry in Messina with 12 kilos of cocaine hidden in the car seat: a couple of drug couriers from Catania arrested.

The operation took place in recent days as part of the security checks implemented in the areas adjacent to the boarding docks of the ferries traveling to and from Calabria.

What blew the cover of the two alleged couriers was the infallible sense of smell of a dog from the Carabinieri canine unit: as it passed by the couple's car, disembarked from a ferry that had just arrived from Villa San Giovanni, the animal decisively indicated the possible presence of narcotics.

The military then stopped the vehicle and proceeded with a thorough personal search and inspection of the vehicle, discovering a particularly ingenious hiding place created inside the passenger seat.

In the hidden compartment, 12 kilograms of cocaine were found, divided and sealed in 10 plastic packages. According to investigators, the significant quantity of white powder was intended for the preparation of hundreds of doses to supply the flourishing retail drug market.

The activities did not stop at the port of Messina: following the seizure, the Carabinieri extended their checks to the couple's home, where almost half a kilo of marijuana was found, already divided into 10 bags.

In the apartment, precision weighing instruments and packaging materials for the narcotic were also seized.

The man, already known to law enforcement, and his young partner were arrested and taken to the Messina Detention Center, at the disposal of the judicial authority.

The entire quantity of seized drugs will be sent to the forensic laboratories of the Carabinieri in Messina for the necessary analyses.