Drugs and weapons: 'Er Palletta' of the Magliana Gang, the trusted man of boss Enrico De Pedis, known as Renatino, is back in prison.
Among the 13 people arrested by the Carabinieri this morning, on a warrant from the Rome DDA, is Raffaele Pernasetti, aka Er Palletta, born in 1950. According to the warrant issued by the Rome investigating judge, the 75-year-old was involved in drug trafficking, procuring drugs, particularly hashish and cocaine, for the criminal organization.
From the investigation documents it emerges that the former Magliana had ties to a drug trafficking group from San Basilio led by Rosario Morando, believed by investigators to be a member of the Platì 'Ndrangheta family.
According to investigators, Pernasetti frequented a restaurant in Testaccio almost daily, uncovering the leadership of the organization operating in the Trullo neighborhood, in southern Rome. The organization's leader was forty-year-old Manuel Severa. The investigating judge wrote that the suspect "managed the drug trade while Pernasetti acted as an intermediary for the purchase and supply, acting as a broker and leveraging his vast network of contacts in the drug trafficking sector, where he enjoyed the trust and respect he had earned over the years."
Er Palletta returns to criminal activity thanks to the support of the Senese and the 'Ndrangheta
According to investigators, Pernasetti, thanks to his closeness to some influential members of the Senese clan and a 'Ndrangheta gang, facilitated the supply of drugs that were sold in the drug dealing centers of the Trullo, Corviale, Magliana Nuova, Monteverde Nuovo, and Garbatella neighborhoods.
Er Palletta, after a long prison sentence, once released, obtained the approval of the Senese clan to operate in Trastevere and Testaccio, thus becoming the leader of the so-called Testaccio battery. His influence, however, also extended to Magliana and Trullo, where he controlled illicit trafficking in the 1980s and 1990s.
The chosen meeting location was his brother's restaurant, "Aio e Oio de casa mia," in Testaccio, where he worked as a cook. According to investigators, that very restaurant was also his business headquarters, and it was there that they planted hidden cameras and bugs.
The order reconstructs the criminal history of Er Palletta, who in the 70s joined the gang of robbers linked to the boss Enrico De Pedis, known as Renatino, becoming his right-hand man. The group operated in the neighborhoods of Trastevere, Testaccio, Torpignattara, and Centocelle. From a judicial perspective, in 1998, following the testimony of informer Maurizio Abbatino, in the second-degree trial against the gang, the First Court of Assizes of Appeal of Rome sentenced Pernasetti to life imprisonment. Suspected of seven murders, he was later sentenced to four life sentences in the first instance; he was acquitted on appeal for three of these. His figure has left a mark on the collective imagination: Pernasetti is in fact credited with being one of the sources of inspiration for the character "Botola" in "Romanzo Criminale."
Persetti's base of operations is the restaurant 'Aio e oio de casa mia' in Testaccio.
After being released from prison, he worked in the family restaurant in Testaccio, from where – according to what has emerged – the 75-year-old had started working again, supplying Rosario Morando's organization with hashish and cocaine.
This morning, the Carabinieri of the Rome investigative unit served a precautionary custody order against 13 people, issued by the Judge for Preliminary Investigations of the Rome Court at the request of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of the Rome Prosecutor's Office.
From Molè's murder in Corviale to the arrests: the DDA tightens the net
The suspects are charged, to varying degrees, with the crimes of criminal conspiracy for the purpose of trafficking, supply and possession for the purpose of trafficking narcotics, illegal possession and carrying of weapons and munitions of war, receiving stolen goods, serious bodily harm, extortion, attempted robbery, and attempted murder, some of which were aggravated by mafia-style actions. The head of the drug trafficking organization, in addition to former boss Pernasetti, is another longtime figure in the Roman underworld, Manuel Severa, known as "the Madman," from Trullo. He has already been arrested by the Carabinieri, suspected of being one of the instigators of the mafia-style murder of Cristiano Molè on January 15, 2024, in the Corviale neighborhood. Brothers Emanuele and Marco Mattiacci, aged 35 and 28, were arrested along with one of their supporters, Manolo Bardeglinu, aged 39.
According to investigators' reconstruction, the weapons were supplied to the firing squad by Stefano Frignani, 58. Manuel Severa, known as "the madman," Simone Di Matteo, and Fabio Postumi, are accused of acting in concert with Casamatta, now a cooperating witness. The perpetrators of the Molè murder, which occurred in front of the Serpentone, were Casamatta himself, along with Di Matteo, while Postumi was driving their car. During this morning's raid, several quantities of drugs and weapons were seized.
In short
Drugs and weapons: 'Er Palletta' of the Magliana Gang, the trusted man of boss Enrico De Pedis, known as Renatino, is back in prison.
- Among the 13 people arrested by the Carabinieri this morning, on a warrant from the Rome DDA, is Raffaele Pernasetti, Er…
- According to the order issued by the capital's investigating judge, the 75-year-old was involved in drug trafficking by procuring for the criminal organization the…
- The investigation documents reveal that the former Magliana had ties to a drug trafficking group from San Basilio led by Rosario Morando,…
Key questions
What is the main point of the news?
Drugs and weapons: 'Er Palletta' of the Magliana Gang, the trusted man of boss Enrico De Pedis, known as Renatino, is back in prison.
Why is this news relevant?
Among the 13 people arrested by the Carabinieri this morning, on a warrant from the Rome DDA, is Raffaele Pernasetti, Er…
Which detail helps us understand the case better?
According to the order issued by the capital's investigating judge, the 75-year-old was involved in drug trafficking, procuring drugs for the criminal organization, and in particular…
I don't judge too much but the picture is complex, there are old ties and new alliances that are not clear how they are broken, the witnesses speak but the truth seems slow to come and the community remains worried and confused.
It seems strange to me, Er Palletta returns to prison and yet history always repeats itself, the trials are difficult but the people in the neighborhood speak and say that the trafficking networks are not going away, the carabinieri have taken action but doubts and many open questions remain.