It ended in front of the Court of Appeal of Naples the second degree trial relating to the British Operation, which involved several criminals accused of drug trafficking in Caudina Valley, in particular a Montesarchio.
Contents
While the Court confirmed all the convictions, the only reduction in sentence was granted to Mark Iovino, who will not return to prison. The investigation, based on environmental and telephone interceptions, video recordings, drug seizures and stakeouts of the police, had led to the arrest of 11 GuestsThe main defendants include Marco Iovino, 58 years old, known as “Marcuccio”, and the brothers Maurizio Arena (47 years old) and Gaetano Arena (45 years old), all assisted by theLawyer Vittorio Fucci.
During the operation, Iovino was found in possession of 209 grams of cocaine and two pistols with erased serial numbers, a circumstance which had led to a second arrest in flagrante in addition to the one for the precautionary order. He and the Arena brothers were accused of a leading role in drug trafficking.
First degree convictions
Despite the seriousness of the charges and the recidivism of the defendants, the GUP of the Court of Benevento had imposed much lighter sentences than the prosecution had requested. Maurice Arena: 8 months imprisonment (in response to the request for 4 years and 4 months); Gaetano Arena: 4 years and 2 months (despite previous convictions for voluntary homicide); Mark Iovino: 5 years and 4 months, despite the double arrest.
In the second instance trial, the Court of Appeal has sentences for five defendants confirmed, but partially accepted the defense's requests, reducing further Iovino's punishment da 5 years and 4 months to 5 years and 3 months. Thanks to the time already spent under house arrest, Iovino and the Arena brothers they will not return to prison, since the residual penalties are lower than the 4 years, threshold that allows the suspension of the execution order.
For Iovino this is another positive result, after the revocation of the obligation to remain in residence occurred in recent months and theAcquittal in the trial arising from Operation “Parking”, conducted by the Carabinieri of Montesarchio. Despite the favorable sentence, the lawyer Victor Fucci announced appeal to the Supreme Court to obtain further reductions in sentence, while reiterating that the defendants will no longer have to serve prison sentences for this procedure.
Article published on 30 January 2025 - 16:31
Video Chronicles
The ruling of the Court of Appeal of Naples was an important decision for the Iovino and Arena case. It is interesting to note how the reduction of sentence despite the serious crimes, but it is also a signal of the legal system.
Yes, it is strange that people with such a troubled past can receive such light sentences. Perhaps there are aspects that we do not know that influence the decisions of the judges in these cases.