Northern Italian police station closed after accusations of drug dealing and torture

A POLICE station in the northern Italian town of Piacenza has been shut after seven Carabinieri officers were arrested over accusations of drug dealing, torture, extortion and abuse of power.

The arrests on Wednesday happened after a phone call during which one of the officers bragged about having set up a criminal gang akin to that of TV series Gomorrah.

The police officers are charged with supplying drugs to dealers when their operations were hindered by the coronavirus lockdown as well as torturing suspects in a manner similar to organised crime groups.