Bari, Pistillo clan: 20 people arrested for substance trafficking, illegal possession of explosives and weapons.

Bari, Pistillo clan: 20 people arrested for substance trafficking, illegal possession of explosives and weapons.

The Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Bari, with the support of the soldiers of Andria and Trani, of the CC Heliported Cacciatori Puglia Squadron and of the Canine Unit of Modugno, carried out twenty precautionary custody orders, issued by the investigating judge at the Court of Bari at the request of the local District Anti-Mafia Directorate, in which serious indications of guilt are recognized against as many individuals under investigation for having participated in a syndicate dedicated to drug trafficking, directed and promoted by individuals close to the Pistillo clan, operating in Andria and in the north of Bari.

According to the accusatory approach accepted by the investigating judge (without prejudice to the evaluation in the subsequent phases with the contribution of the defence), the investigations, coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Bari and conducted in the period from 2019 to 2020 by the Operations Department - Investigation Unit of Bari, with the support of the Compagnia di Andria, through observation, control and shadowing services, various searches and seizures, have made it possible to collect serious indications of guilt regarding the illicit activities carried out by the Pistillo clan over the course of approximately a year, outlining the association, also made up of women, dedicated to drug trafficking in all its symptomatic elements, that is, a hierarchically articulated structure, made up of organisers, promoters, managers and participants, which thanks to the control of the territory - on the basis of the mafia qualities of the promoters - succeeded to manage the drug market, resorting, if necessary, to violence and the use of weapons and ammunition.

During the activities, in various phases, among other things, more than 3 kg of TNT, 6 pistols, a semi-automatic rifle, approximately 500 ammunition, as well as 24 kg of marijuana, 15 kg of hashish and one kg of cocaine.

The circumstantial framework collected by the Carabinieri against the suspects was shared by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Bari which made a request for the issuance of a precautionary measure. The investigating judge of the Court of Bari, accepting the request, ordered the capture of the subjects, including some already detained for other reasons.

It is important to underline that the proceeding is in the preliminary investigation phase and that, following the execution of today's precautionary measures, the guarantee interrogation and the discussion with the defense of the suspects will follow, whose possible guilt, in relation to the crimes contested, must be ascertained during the trial in the cross-examination between the parties.