FLASH NEWS
Part of a structured criminal group, the Italian Prosecutor's Office requests 36 years in prison for the 3 Albanians
2025-06-09 23:52:04 / AKTUALITET
After an international drug trafficking network was dismantled in Italy, in which 3 Albanians played a leading role, the seven defendants are being asked to serve a total of 57 years in prison, Italian media report.
The request was made today, Monday, June 9, 2025, at the end of the closing argument by the prosecutor Giovanna Cannarile (Lecce DDA), from the Metrangolo court in Brindisi.
A trial that arose from an investigation that dismantled an international drug trafficking network, with Oria playing a central role, is in its final stages. Large quantities of cocaine and heroin were imported from the Netherlands, hidden in the false bottoms of several heavy vehicles and then stored in the Brindisi area. Following the investigations, the financial police of the Guardia di Finanza carried out a raid on 22 January 2022. During Operation “Tackle”, Lieutenant Giuseppe Brigante and other financial police executed 23 preliminary detention orders.
Below are the sentences requested by the prosecutor for each defendant. Fabrizio Russo (48 years old from Oria, but born in Monopoli): seven years in prison and a fine of 5 thousand euros; Salvatore Schiavone (34 years old, born in Brindisi and resident of Oria): six years and 3 thousand euros; Adrian Boci (35 years old, Albanian): twelve years consecutive with another sentence; Salvatore Chionna (47 years old, from Francavilla Fontana): four years and 18 thousand euros; Roberto Mazzuti (49 years old, from Oria): six years and 3 thousand euros; Kujtim Metaj (60 years old, Albanian): 18 years; Romeo Myftari (43 years old, Albanian): eight years. In Russo's case, the prosecutor requested acquittal on two drug-related charges and reclassification of a third (transfer of a modest amount). For Metaj, there is also a request for acquittal on a single crime hypothesis.
A procedural story in three 'fragments'
During her closing statement, the prosecutor Cannarile reviewed the judicial history resulting from the investigations, which materialized in three procedures. Some defendants were tried with summary judgment, while the historical face of the Sacra Corona, Giovanni Donatiello, was tried in a separate procedure, also with a summary judgment, which ended with the sentence being reduced to four years on appeal, for an extortion attempt against Pierluigi Chionna, who had in the meantime become a collaborator of justice. The sentence has since become irrevocable. Subsequently, the procedure against Fabrizio Russo was joined, as his time as a fugitive ended in December 2023.
Investigations, between wiretapping and public surveillance
The DDA deputy prosecutor also reviewed the investigations and the trial. She recalled how Pierluigi Chionna was identified as the Italian terminal of an Albanian organization, to import cocaine and heroin. The drugs then flowed not only to the provinces of Puglia, but also to Reggio Calabria. It was the man from Oritano who sent the money to Albania, the prosecutor explained, through scheduled bus drivers. The investigations, also summarized by the testimony of Lieutenant Brigante, represent a fortunate combination of modern technologies, including telephone and environmental interceptions, and classic techniques, including stalking.
During the closing argument, prosecutor Cannarile explained the peculiarity of the organizational structure that imported drugs. The Albanian base, logistics in the Netherlands, has two distinct subgroups, both composed of a common central core, namely Chionna and his then partner. One is led by Licaj (already convicted), the other by Metaj. Some defendants had at their disposal tools such as signal jammers and untraceable mobile phones. They were of little use, considering that Lieutenant Brigante and his men 'broke' this security system.
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