The Rogoredo district, in the southeast of Milan, has for several years been one of the largest heroin and cocaine marketplaces in Europe. During the spring and summer of 2019, the hustle and bustle around the train station and the nearby boschetto (the grove)—where people would not only buy but also use drugs, and even camp—became so conspicuous that it began to draw considerable media attention. Things changed the following autumn, due to a series of large-scale law enforcement interventions. For a few months, trade continued intermittently, with a much smaller turnout, along the disused track running beside the grove and under the ring road bridges. With the start of 2020 and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, activity dwindled even further. The abandoned farmhouse on Via Orwell, where many used to sleep, was demolished. For the time being, Rogoredo’s problems appear to be resolved—while the plight of drug-addicted individuals remains unchanged. They have simply moved elsewhere, out of the spotlight. Between one lockdown and another, however, the market has started up again, and people have begun to return.
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