International Drug Trafficking: 15 Years in Prison for Boss Pasquale Mazzarella

The Court of Appeal of Bari confirmed the 15-year prison sentence against Pasquale Mazzarella, a 56-year-old Neapolitan considered by the Prosecutor's Office to be the promoter and organizer of a conspiracy aimed at drug trafficking between Spain and Italy, particularly in the provinces of Naples and Bari.

The second-instance judges, in confirming the sentence imposed by the Court in December 2017, however excluded the aggravating circumstance of transnationality.

Mazzarella, who at the time of the facts (between 2009 and 2010) lived in Malaga, would have had duties of "procurement, concealment, storage and transportation of significant quantities of narcotics brought to Italy through his cousin", Alfonso Mazzarella.

According to what has been reconstructed, Mazzarella's organisation would have also been composed of two subgroups operating in Bari and its provinceThe representative of reference for Bari was Michael Mallardi, believed to be close to Capriati clan of the old city and sentenced, in summary, to 18 years and 8 months of imprisonment.

The drugs, according to the reconstruction, arrived from Spain to the group managed in Naples by Alfonso Mazzarella, who then took care of supplying the barsiThe investigations, conducted by the Guardia di Finanza, were coordinated by the Bari DDA.

Crimes extinguished by prescription

Three other people were accused with Mazzarella: Bartolomeo Carella and Teresa Allegretta, sentenced in the first instance to two years and six months and one year and six months respectively for attempted drug trafficking and possession and sale of counterfeit money. The Court declared that no action should be taken against them because the crimes have expired due to the statute of limitations.

The charge of drug trafficking was dropped, again due to the statute of limitations, also against Angela Rays, whose sentence was reduced to two years and four months (from three) because he was recognized as a member of one of the Bari subgroups of the organization.

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