Mazzarella Clan and drug traffickers: "Tyson" acquitted in a resounding acquittal. The facts are not true.

Salerno – A judicial earthquake has shaken the foundations of the "Piazza Ripulita" operation. Orlando Morata, better known in criminal circles as "Tyson," has been fully acquitted.

The Salerno Criminal Court has demolished the District Anti-Mafia Directorate's case: the charges are non-existent. The 55-year-old from San Giovanni a Teduccio, considered a key player in the Mazzarella clan's white powder trafficking business, has finally been released.

The verdict comes as a shock to investigators. Morata was arrested in December 2023, caught up in a transnational investigation linking the backstreets of Naples to Colombian cartels and the powerful 'Ndrine of Gioiosa Ionica and Vibo Valentia. A multi-million euro business, cemented by a record seizure of 720 kilos of 80% pure cocaine. Yet, that seemingly unassailable house of cards collapsed under the blows of the trial.

The collapse of the accusatorial theorem

The wiretaps, the expert reports, or the damning statements of the cooperating witnesses were not enough. The Prosecutor's Office, sensing the validity of Article 74 (the association requirement) was crumbling, attempted in extremis to salvage what could be salvaged by reclassifying the crimes as "minor" and seeking a sentence of 3 years and 6 months. This move did nothing to slow the rush to acquittal.

The preliminary investigations court had already dealt the first blow to the investigation by overturning the precautionary prison order, but it was the preliminary hearing that delivered the final blow. The defense, led by attorney Massimo Viscusi, presented five key witnesses capable of undermining the theory of Morata's involvement in drug dealing in Salerno's nightlife.

Total victory for the defense

At the end of a lengthy argument that sifted through every single piece of evidence, the panel of judges fully accepted the defense's argument: no connection with the Mazzarellas, no sales of pure cocaine.

While the summary trial had already resulted in eight convictions, "Tyson"'s trial ended with a legal triumph. A shocking verdict that redraws the boundaries of one of the most significant drug investigations in Southern Italy in recent years.