Rabayeh Sami, 32, a native of Naples but of North African origin, was sentenced to four years in prison and fined €9.000. He was already known to law enforcement and considered a habitual drug addict.
The sentence was issued by preliminary hearing judge Fabio Provvisier of the Court of Naples at the end of the trial held under the abbreviated procedure, which allowed the defendant to benefit from the sentence reduction provided by law.
The man was charged with multiple counts of possession and trafficking of narcotics, as well as illegal possession of weapons and ammunition. This serious accusation, supported by wiretaps, seizures, and witness statements, had led the Prosecutor's Office to seek a severe sentence.
The judge, however, found the defendant guilty of the crimes charged, granting him mitigating circumstances and applying the reduction of the sentence under the summary procedure.
The basic sentence, set at six years in prison and an €18.000 fine for the most serious crime (the fourth count), was increased by six months for each of the other six counts, bringing the total to nine years. This was later reduced to four years thanks to mitigating circumstances and the chosen trial procedure.
In addition to the prison sentence and fine, the judge imposed a five-year ban from holding public office and ordered the confiscation and destruction of the drugs seized during the investigation, as well as the transfer of the weapons and ammunition to the competent Artillery.
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Rabayeh, represented by Giuseppe Gallo, had previously been represented by the same lawyer in previous criminal proceedings. Despite the seriousness of the charges and his recidivism, the defense pursued a strategy aimed at securing recognition of drug addiction as a mitigating factor, emphasizing the defendant's personal and social hardship.
The judicial context
The case is part of a broader investigation into a drug trafficking ring in eastern Naples, where Rabayeh was allegedly active as a small-time middleman in the retail trade of cocaine and hashish. During the searches, the Carabinieri found quantities of drugs already divided into doses, unregistered weapons, and cash, further strengthening the evidence.
The provisional judge, in justifying his decision, emphasized the seriousness of the crimes and the defendant's social danger, but also the need to promote a re-educational process compatible with his condition of dependence and marginalization.
The defense, after taking note of the sentence, could also evaluate the opportunity of not appealing in order to obtain a further sentence reduction.
In the meantime, Rabayeh Sami will remain under house arrest at a rehabilitation center.
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