The boss of Nocera Inferiore, Michele Cuomo had organized a drug trafficking ring in the Fuorni prison in Salerno where he is detained with the 'collaboration' of the powerful Mazzarella clan of Naples.
Personnel from the Organized Crime Section of the Salerno Flying Squad and the Central Investigative Unit of the Penitentiary Police Corps, supported by personnel from the Flying Squads of Florence, Naples, Cosenza and Rome, with the assistance of the Crime Prevention Units, dog units and air support from a State Police helicopter, at dawn today, executed, in the provinces of Salerno, Naples, Florence and Cosenza, a precautionary custody order, issued by the Preliminary Investigations Judge of the Court of Salerno, at the request of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Salerno, against 47 people, considered responsible, in various capacities, for two criminal associations aimed at the illicit trafficking of narcotics and extortion.
In the first half of 2019, the investigative activity of the Salerno Flying Squad under the direction of the Salerno Public Prosecutor's Office - DDA, had highlighted the existence of illicit introductions into the Salerno Prison of cellular devices as well as narcotic substances to be marketed within the same prison structure.
These circumstances had found the same correspondence in the findings of another proceeding initiated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Salerno, whose investigative activities were carried out by this Flying Squad in conjunction with the Penitentiary Police Corps - Central Investigative Unit - Regional Unit of Campania.
It emerged that Michele Cuomo, the main suspect and head of the organization, had, in collaboration with his associates, also set up inside the Salerno prison, "a drug dealing center" by introducing narcotics and cell phones functional to the performance of said activity.
The activity carried out also highlighted the involvement of a Penitentiary Police officer, in service in the “detention departments” of the prison, who was found to be involved in the illicit activities described. In particular, in exchange for compensation given to him by Michele Cuomo himself, through his main “collaborator” Domenico Rese, the unfaithful officer introduced quantities of narcotics into the District Prison.
At the same time, as the alarming picture of widespread criminal activity carried out by inmates inside the Salerno prison emerged, involving the trade of narcotics and other prohibited objects, such as cell phones and SIM cards, the existence of a further criminal association operating inside the same institution, led by inmate Luigi Albergatore, has emerged.
Michele Cuomo, during his detention at the prison facility in question, continued to give "directives" to his closest collaborators. In fact, the criminal gang he directed, through the subjects of closest "trust", organized in two distinct areas of the city of Nocera Inferiore, two "drug dealing squares", thus proving to be particularly active in the illicit marketing of narcotics.
Throughout the investigation, numerous episodes of physical violence and aggression against detainees who did not “bow” to the promoters of the massive drug trafficking emerged. The punitive expeditions were such as to cause even serious injuries to the unfortunate individuals.
The modus operandi of drug trafficking was structured with real "drug dealing squares" inside the prison structure of Salerno; with individuals responsible for the detention of drugs inside the cavities and lockers in the cells, others responsible for the introduction into the prison through relatives or in-laws who came for periodic visits and hid the cell phones and the drugs in their private parts and finally an external structured payment system via Postepay which were recharged from the outside and were used to pay for the purchase of drugs inside the prison.
The purchase of mobile phones inside the prison had reached the size of a real "market" in fact it was enough to order the brand and model to receive it delivered by visitors and pay for it through bank transfers to the dedicated postepay.
The use of the aforementioned mobile phones took place through sims registered to untraceable and almost always non-EU subjects, and were used both for personal conversations with relatives and / or family members outside the prison and with the supporters used for post-pay top-ups and to issue directives and orders to clan members.
Throughout the investigation phase, with the collaboration of the prison management and the penitentiary police, several investigative checks were carried out inside the prison structure. Numerous were the seizures of narcotic substances such as cocaine, hashish and cell phones; more than 30 cell phones and approximately 20 SIM cards and over a kilogram of narcotic substance divided into several dozen doses, between cocaine and hashish, thus managing to contain and block the introduction into the prison of both drugs and cell phones.
Below are the names of those affected by the precautionary measure:
1. BARBA Antonio born in 2000 from Nocera Inferiore (house arrest)
2. BARBETTA Annamaria Grazia born in 1969 from Nocera Inferiore (house arrest)
3. BOFFARDI Filippo born in 1983 from Nocera Inferiore (in prison custody)
4. BOVE Kristian born in 1996 from Nocera Inferiore (house arrest)
5. CAGGEGI Giuseppa born in 1993 from Nocera Inferiore (house arrest)
6. CAMANZO Gennaro born in 1989 in Naples (house arrest)
7. COMITINI Mario born in 1982 from Nocera Inferiore (prison custody)
8. CUOMO Michele born in 1980 from Nocera Inferiore, already detained for another reason (in custody in prison)
9. D'AURIA Giuseppe born in 1992 from Pagani, already detained for another cause (house arrest)
10. D'AURIA Piero born in 1971 in Pontecagnano Faiano (house arrest)
11. DE ROSA Ciro born in 1987 from Nocera Inferiore (prison custody)
12. DI CUNZOLO Valentina born in 1997 in Eboli (house arrest)
13. FEDELE Camillo born in 1989 from Nocera Inferiore (prison custody)
14. GIORDANO Raffaele Paolo born in 1995 from Nocera Inferiore (house arrest)
15. GREAT Matteo born in 1987 from Nocera Inferiore (house arrest)
16. IANNONE Marco born in 1983 in Nocera Inferiore (in prison custody)
17. LAMBERTI Giacomo born in 1998 from Nocera Inferiore (prison custody)
18. LIMODIO Mirko born in 1988 from Nocera Inferiore (prison custody)
19. MARCELLO Adriano born in 1980 in Nocera Inferiore (prison custody)
20. PASTORE Naomi born in 1997 in Nocera Inferiore (house arrest)
21. PETTI Giuseppe born in 1984 from Nocera Inferiore (in custody in prison)
22. RESE Domenico born in 1986 from Nocera Inferiore, domiciled in Florence (held in prison)
23. SARTORI Demetrio born in 1984 from Naples, already detained for another reason (prison custody)
24. TORTORA Mario born in 1993 from Nocera Inferiore (prison custody)
25. VICIDOMINI Luigi born in 1985 from Nocera Inferiore (in custody in prison)
26. VILLANI Pietro born in 1983 from Nocera Inferiore (prison custody)
27. HOTEL OWNER Luigi born in 1988 from Torre Annunziata (NA), already detained for another reason (prison custody)
28. AMORETTI Angela born in 1996 in Torre Annunziata (NA) (prison custody)
29. AVALLONE Luca born in 1975 from Salerno, already detained, for another reason, at the therapeutic community of Spezzano Albanese (CS) (prison custody)
30. CAVALLARO Gaetano born in 1979 from Scafati, already detained for another cause (prison custody)
31. D'ACUNZO Vito born in 1987 from Torre Annunziata (NA), previously detained for another reason at the therapeutic community of San Benedetto Ullano (CS) (held in prison)
32. D'ADDIO Vincenzo born in 1977 from Santa Maria a Vico (CE) already detained for another reason (custody in prison)
33. D'ELIA Andrea born in 2000, resident in Giffoni Valle Piana (house arrest)
34. D'ELIA Carlo born in 1972, resident in Giffoni Valle Piana (in prison custody)
35. D'ELIA Cassandra born in 1997, resident in Giffoni Valle Piana (house arrest)
36. FALANGA Olimpia born in 1973, resident in Scafati (house arrest)
37. FATTORUSO Angela born in 1998, resident in Scafati (residency requirement)
38. FATTORUSO Annunziata born in 1980, resident in Scafati (residency requirement)
39. FATTORUSO Gianmarco born in 1988, resident in Scafati (in custody in prison)
40. GRIECO Gennaro born in 1969, resident in Moscufo (PE) (residency requirement)
41. MELLUSO Gennaro born in 1981, already detained for another cause (house arrest)
42. NOCERA Emiliano born in 1973, resident in Scafati (house arrest)
43. NOCERA Michele born in 1971 from Scafati (in custody in prison)
44. PASTORE Luigi born in 1999 from Salerno, already detained for another cause (custody in prison)
45. PRINCIPE Carmela born in 1989, resident in Salerno (house arrest)
46. TEODOSIO Annamaria born in 1980, resident in Pompeii (house arrest)
47. TORTORA Andrea born in 1997, resident in Trecase (NA) (residency requirement)
Article published on 24 February 2021 - 17:17
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