MARSALA. This morning, the Marsala Public Prosecutor’s Office, directing and coordinating the investigations carried out by the Carabinieri of the local Company, carried out an application order for precautionary measures issued by the Court of Marsala-GIP Office, against four people (including a woman), investigated for various crimes, drug dealing drugs, improper use of citizenship income cards, money laundering, fraudulent transfer of values and extortion.
The custodial measure in prison was applied to Alessia Angileri, of 33 years old, his partner Andrea Nizza, 36 years old and another alleged drug dealer, Alessio Cristopher Pantaleo, 36 years old, domiciled in the popular neighborhood of Sappusi, already subjected to the precautionary measure of custody in prison as part of the so-called Virgilio operation.
The preventive seizure of a note was also ordered tobacco shop, located in the other popular neighborhood of Amabilina, believed by the investigators real “ATM” of the pushers, as well as means and sums of money (equal to approximately 50,000 euros).
The owner of the seized tobacco shop, LM, aged 32, was ordered to pay precautionary measure of the obligation to submit to the PG, with simultaneous interdiction of the prohibition on carrying out business activities.
The investigation began the day after the “Virgilio” operation was carried out by the Carabinieri under the direction of the Marsala Prosecutor’s Office which, in February 2023, had the historic drug dealing square in the popular neighborhood of Sappusi was dismantled, with the execution of an order applying precautionary measures against 14 suspects, 11 of whom recipients of the measure are in prison.
Thanks to the discovery of accounting notes relating to the drug dealing activity, they were taken further operations, which would have allowed the Carabinieri to reconstruct the method used by some under investigation to obtain payment for the drugs sold (cocaine, crack and heroin): consumers, often in economic difficulty, would have purchased narcotics “a credit”, leaving their Citizenship Income Cards (with related PIN) in their hands of the pushers who, thanks to the availability of the Amabilina tobacco shop, they would have withdrawn the cash monthly (an operation prohibited by law), leaving a sum equal to 10% of the amount withdrawn from the tobacconist’s owner, thus bypassing the regulations on the use of Citizenship Income cards and the provisions of the Text Single Bank.
Angileri and Pantaleo are under investigation for extortion because, according to the preliminary investigative acts, would have forced them to leave the house, through threats of fire, the regular assignees of a public housing in the Sappusi district. The criminals, immediately afterwards, took possession of the accommodation (owned by the IACP), occupying it illegally.
Furthermore, the Carabinieri, with the help of the Guardia di Finanza of the local Company and at the disposal of the Marsala Prosecutor’s Office, are carrying out further investigations at the seized tobacco shop, with the aim of investigating tax aspects and verify all withdrawal operations carried out with the Citizenship Income Cards unduly used by pushers.
As part of the aforementioned “Virgilio” operation of February 2023, from which it originated today’s operation, the Court of Marsala – GIP Office, after the exercise of the action criminal proceedings by the Marsala Prosecutor’s Office and following summary judgment, has already convicted Gisella Angileri (Alessia’s sister) and Vito Alessio Allegra, two of the accused, to 8 and 5 years of imprisonment respectively, declaring against them the suspension from the exercise of parental authority.
The other suspects in the Virgilio operation were charged with the more serious crime of criminal association aimed at drug trafficking and, shortly, the process.
