Turin, 10 June 2024 – Extortion, intimidation, beatings and even kidnapping. It was the way of operating, according to the accusations, of the “king of the Christmas markets”Francesco Ferrara who together with 7 others, including one Juventus ultras leaderended up in handcuffs this morning as part of an operation that saw the police involved since dawn.
There is also a well-known Turin entrepreneur operating in the organization of large food and wine events and in the coffee sector, among the eight people arrested this morning in the Piedmontese capital, during a police operation in Turin and in the metropolitan area. It’s about Francesco Ferrara48 years old Rosta (Turin)considered by many to be “the king of Christmas markets” and street food. Various accusations range from extortion, kidnapping, private violence, carrying and possession of a common firearm and personal injury, aggravated by the mafia method. “The investigative activity developed from an excerpt of an important investigation carried out in Turin concerning the football betsfrom which the figure of a well-known Turin entrepreneur active above all in the field of coffee production emerged”, he explains Luca Izzoof the Investigative Sections of the Central Operational Service of the police.
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“In particular, the entrepreneur made use of a known criminal linked to organized crime circles, also known to be a former ultrashad effectively monopolized the control of the territory through particularly violent actions that had caused alarm in the Lower Susa Valley”, adds Izzo. The ultras leader of the group Juventus Arditiaccused of extortion with the mafia as an aggravating circumstance, already arrested at the time of the Minotauro operation, against the ‘Ndrangheta in Piedmont, is Giacomo Lo Surdo.
The head of the investigation is the prosecutor Manuela Pedrotta. One of the episodes sees the victim of a former collaborator of the entrepreneur who with a legal action had requested the payment of approximately 20 thousand euros in commissions for the activity carried out. An ambush was organized against him to force him to give up the lawsuit. The victim was beaten and even threatened with a rope around his neck.
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The entrepreneur Francesco Ferrara, with the protection of top exponents of mafia-type organized crime, exercised, towards his collaborators or creditorsdebtorsstrong intimidation which often culminated in violent acts or repeated threats, choosing based on the profile of the victim, the most suitable “friends”.. One of the most striking incidents was committed against a former collaborator, who had requested, through legal action, the payment of approximately 20,000 euros in commissions for the activity carried out.
A real attack was therefore organized against him ambush to force him to give up legal action. The expedition was particularly violent, the victim was, in fact, beaten, threatened even by tightening a rope around her neck and deprived of her personal freedom (hence the accusation of kidnapping). Similar mafia methods were used to force other victims to comply with the requests of the entrepreneur, who made use of the collaboration of members of the ‘ndrangheta or common crime.
The arrested were taken to the Turin prison “Lorusso and Cotugno”. Numerous units of the Central Operations Service were involved in the operation SISCO of Turin, Milan Brescia, Bologna and Genoa, of Turin Crime Prevention Department.
