L'Aquila – The trial into the new drug routes linked to the Contini clan has concluded in the first instance, with mixed results. Marco Billi, preliminary hearing judge for the L'Aquila Court, pronounced his verdict yesterday at the conclusion of the summary trial, sentencing eight defendants to a total of nearly 70 years in prison, but acquitting six people, including prominent figures in Neapolitan organized crime.
In fact, those who emerged unscathed from the trial were Nicola Rullo, the infamous man indicated by the investigators as the boss of the Contini clan, and his alleged "colonels" Carmine Botta and Vincenzo Capozzoli, whose positions – as the judge established – did not stand up to the scrutiny of the trial.
The sentences
The most severe sentence, as Il Roma reports on newsstands, was handed down to Umberto Schettino, considered the linchpin of the organization, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Francesca Di Cristo was next, with 8 years, and Daniele Malafronte, Leonardo Ortensi, and Marco Basso, all sentenced to 7 years and 9 months.
Giuseppe Lanzano received a sentence of 6 years and 10 months, while Domenico and Ferdinando Marasca were each sentenced to 5 years in prison and a fine of 30 euros.
Full acquittals, however, were granted to Gaetano Attardo (for whom the Prosecutor's Office had requested 18 years and 4 months), Nicola Fruguglietti, Nicola Rullo, Carmine Botta, Vincenzo Capozzoli, and Ciro Toscano.
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The accusations and the investigation
According to the prosecution's reconstruction, the criminal network operated between the summer of 2017 and the early months of 2018, managing a vast trafficking network of cocaine, hashish, marijuana, and MDMA. The substances, purchased or received in Naples, were then distributed to the provinces of Teramo, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, and Ancona.
At the top of the organization, according to the prosecution, was Schettino, residing in Corropoli, a former drug lord with ties to the Contini clan and believed to be the main intermediary with Neapolitan suppliers. Among these were Gaetano Attardo, a longtime figure in the clan operating between Arenaccia, Vasto, and San Giovanniello, and Nicola Fruguglietti, a drug dealer with roots in Lotto G of Scampia.
The transportation of the drugs, however, was entrusted to Vincenzo Saracino, Pasquale Starita and Farinelli.
Regarding the gangsters Rullo and Botta, the Prosecutor's Office had hypothesized individual episodes of possession and sale of narcotics, but the evidence gathered proved insufficient to reach a conviction.
List of convictions
Umberto Schettino – 20 years in prison
Francesca Di Cristo – 8 years old
Daniele Malafronte – 7 years and 9 months
Leonardo Ortensi – 7 years and 9 months
Marco Basso – 7 years and 9 months
Giuseppe Lanzano – 6 years and 10 months
Domenico Marasca – 5 years and a €30.000 fine
Ferdinando Marasca – 5 years and a €30.000 fine
Fully acquitted:
Gaetano Attardo
Nicola Fruguglietti
Nicholas Roll
Carmine Botta
Vincenzo Capozzoli
Ciro Toscano
Comments (1)
The article on the Contini clan trial is interesting, but many things aren't fully explained. The verdict and sentences are confusing, and it's unclear who is guilty and who isn't. Let's hope for greater clarity in the future.