Matera, Carabinieri and GdF defeat pusher association active throughout the province: 24 arrests

Matera, today, at the conclusion of investigations coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate at the Public Prosecutor's Office of Potenza in constant coordination with the National Anti-Mafia Directorate (which guaranteed the constant application of the Liaison Magistrate to the ongoing investigations) and conducted by the Carabinieri and by the financiers of the respective Policoro companies, a personal precautionary measure order was executed, issued by the GIP of the Court of Potenza, against 24 suspects held responsible for having been part, in various capacities, of an association dedicated to the trafficking and dealing of narcotic substances, operating in various municipalities in the province of Matera (Policoro, Scanzano Jonico, Colobraro, Valsinni, Bernalda and Tursi) as well as crimes of extortion, fire, fraudulent transfer of valuables, self-laundering and use of money of illicit origin.

Among those arrested, 12 were associated with various prisons and another 6 were subjected to house arrest; furthermore, the measure of the obligation to reside in the municipality of residence was applied to 6 people.

The investigations coordinated by the AG and developed in an in-depth, complete and professional manner by the aforementioned judicial police, have revealed, in particular, the most refined and insidious mechanism of money laundering and reuse of money of illicit origin (and in particular from drug trafficking, including at an international level) for millions and millions of euros, in productive activities that, in the agricultural sector, had never been seen in Basilicata.

 

The measures were issued by the GIP of the Court of Potenza and the recipients of the measures are the following:

Pre-trial detention order in prison:

• SOLIMANDO Giacomo, born in Tursi (MT) on 21.05.1965, detained, (head of the association);
• SOLIMANDO Filippo, born in Matera on 24.11.1969, detained;
• ARONE Benito, born in Montalto Uffugo (CS) on 07.03.1968, resident in Tursi, (promoter);
• DE PASCALIS Aldo, born in Montalbano Jonico (MT) on 12.01.1960, resident in Scanzano Jonico (MT);
• BEVILACQUA Antonio, born in Genoa on 10.06.1989, resident in Policoro, (promoter);
• MODARELLI Lorenzo, born in Chiaromonte (PZ) on 05.10.1970, resident in Colobraro (MT);
• SACCONE Giuseppe, born in Gragnano (NA) on 26.09.1982, resident in Scanzano Jonico;
• MORANDO Antonio, born in Policoro (MT) on 29.06.1995, resident there;
• BRUNO Giovanni, born in Taranto on 30.09.1985, resident in Scanzano Jonico;
• SANTORO Stefano, born in Germany on 22.05.1966, resident in Policoro;
• RUSSO Pietro, born in Tursi on 01.09.1979, detained;
• ALOISIO Giuseppe, born in Policoro on 25.12.1988, resident there;

Order of precautionary custody under house arrest:

• LABRIOLA Antonio, born in Colobraro on 11.07.1964, resident in Tursi;
• VIOLANTE Pietro, born Policoro on 02.05.1986, resident there;
• BRUNO Marco, born in Pisticci (MT) on 17.06.1993, resident in Scanzano Jonico;
• TUTINO Daniele, born in Policoro on 29.07.1973, resident in Scanzano Jonico;
• DE PASCALIS Rossana, born in Policoro on 13.04.1987, resident in Scanzano Jonico;
• DE PASCALIS Leo, born in Policoro on 27.10.1994, resident in Scanzano Jonico;

 

Obligation to reside in the municipality of residence:

• DI PIZZO Antonio, born Policoro on 11.04.1997, resident in Colobraro;
• TRAVASCIO Stefano, born in Pisticci on 01.07.1988, resident in Policoro;
• ALTIERI Daniele, born in Stigliano (MT) on 07.04.1987, resident in Nocara (CS);
• MARTINO Maurizio, born in Modugno (BA) on 16.02.1990, resident in Scanzano Jonico;
• ASTRELLA Antonella, born in Policoro on 24.06.1993, resident in Scanzano Jonico;
• SANTARCANGELO Marco, born Policoro on 10.01.1981, resident there.

The territory concerned is that of the Lucanian Ionian area and the first investigative step is represented by the identification of the vast drug trafficking activity and the members of the association that managed the drug trafficking, directed, first, by the Solimando brothers, Giacomo and Filippo (formerly convicted of mafia association) and then, by delegation of the latter, by Benito Arone. The channel for laundering dirty money reinvested in the De Pascalis agricultural company was identified below, one of the most important in the Matera area which in the space of a few years, thanks to the contributions of illicit capital guaranteed by criminal partners, has become an economic reality of considerable importance .

 

In particular, the organization managed several drug dealing centers assigned to members of the group:

• the Colobrarese-Valsinnese square, managed directly by MODARELLI Lorenzo who, for retail dealing, made use of ALTIERI Daniele;
• the Novasirese square, where MODARELLI Lorenzo managed the sale of cultivated marijuana;
• the Bernaldese square, in which MODARELLI Lorenzo also used FAVALE Emanuele to sell considerable quantities of marijuana to buyers living there;
• the Policorese square referred to ARONE Benito, in close collaboration with BEVILACQUA Antonio, whose home represented a real logistical base where the cutting and packaging of the substance took place. Subsequent storage then took place in other places, far from homes, in temporary warehouses located along internal roads, in certain points marked by road signs or trees, such that they could be reached for immediate collection and delivery;
• the Scanzanese square, referred to BRUNO Giovanni (assisted by the couriers BRUNO Marco and TUTINO Daniele) and SACCONE Giuseppe (assisted by his partner ASTRELLA Antonella).

 

The association had several supply channels (Puglia, Calabria, Campania and Albania), but also its own production through the cultivation of vast plots on which cannabis was planted.

The main crimes alleged against the aforementioned suspects are:

• association aimed at trafficking and dealing in narcotic substances (articles 74 and 73 of Presidential Decree 309/1990);
• extortion (articles 629 and 81 of the criminal code);
• fraudulent transfer of values ​​(art. 12 quinquies of Legislative Decree 306/92, converted into Law 356/92, now art. 512-bis of the Criminal Code)
• use of money, goods or benefits of illicit origin and self-laundering (articles 648-ter and 648-ter 1 of the criminal code)
• fire (art. 423 criminal code);
• incitement to make false statements to the AG (art. 377-bis of the criminal code).

 

The Prosecutor's Office also contested the crime of mafia association, which however was not considered supported by serious evidence by the Potenza investigating judge.

 

The investigative activity carried out was developed through interceptions, tailings, searches and seizures, which also resulted in arrests in flagrante delicto. The types of drugs most traded by the association were found to be cocaine, marijuana and hashish.

 

During the course of the investigation, a total of approximately 7 kg of marijuana, 230 gr. of cocaine and 640 gr. of hashish, as well as an area of ​​10.000 m1000 used for the cultivation of marijuana with approximately 300 planted and XNUMX dried cannabis plants.

 

Furthermore, it was possible to shed full light on two fires and an extortion episode against an agricultural company. The first fire which occurred in Policoro on the night of 19 August 2015 involved three cars, completely destroyed, used by the Leone brothers, entrepreneurs in the fruit and vegetable sector, the perpetrator of which was identified as ARONE Benito, for purely intimidating purposes, aiming to generate fear towards entrepreneurs in the Metaponto area. The second fire concerned the DE PASCALIS Aldo farm, which occurred in Scanzano Jonico on the night of 13 February 2019, and which affected around 3000 plastic containers for fruit harvesting and some engines of the cold rooms near the fire point . The author, a haulier identified and investigated in the present criminal proceedings, although not drawn from precautionary measures, had acted for vengeful purposes, having been excluded by the DE PASCALIS company from contracts for the transport of fruit.

 

The criminal organization was found to have a direct connection with important criminal circles rooted in nearby Calabria, in particular the Abbruzzese clan.

 

As has been said, and this represents one of the most important aspects of the investigation, during the activities it was also possible to shed light on the relocation of the illicit capital obtained from drug trafficking and the links between the aforementioned criminal group and the entrepreneur Aldo DE PASCALIS from Scanzano Jonico.

In particular, it emerged, at the level of circumstantial gravity, how the illicit capital available to the criminal association was reused in the DE PASCALIS agricultural company, used for the purchase in cash, from third party suppliers, of fruit and vegetable products, then labeled and resold as own production.

The concealment of the real origin of these products, marketed as typical production of the farm, has essentially made it possible to perfect the circuit of cleaning up the proceeds of criminal origin.

But not only. It is precisely the use of illicit capital that has allowed De Pascalis, and his de facto partners Giacomo and Filippo Solimando, to make ever greater investments, purchasing land, buildings and equipment, thus resulting in a clear distortion of the market to the detriment of competitors who do not they had the (illicit) resources enjoyed by the De Pascalis company.

Therefore, the formal guise of an agricultural company disguised, in fact, a real commercial activity, allowing the entrepreneur to obtain significant profits which were reintroduced into the business cycle (and consequently cleaned up) also with the purchase of properties (agricultural land and soil), without the use of bank credit lines.

It emerged that, for the various agricultural campaigns (mainly for the strawberry sector), cash proceeds of approximately 2013 million euros were used from 2019 to 3,9, money not transferred to the company current account.

For the conduct in question, the company assets of two agricultural companies, a factory, land, buildings and financial resources attributable to DE PASCALIS were seized.

The investigations are still ongoing and subject to further developments. At 11 am today the District Attorney will hold a press conference in the Palace of Justice in Potenza.