An intense cocaine trafficking on the Calabria-Sicily axis was discovered and defeated thanks to investigations by the Flying Squad of the Catania Police Headquarters. Around 100 police officers are engaged in the execution of an order with which the investigating magistrate of Catania, at the request of the local anti-mafia district directorate, has ordered personal precautionary measures against 13 suspects. The hypothesized crimes, for various reasons and with different profiles of responsibility, are criminal association aimed at trafficking in narcotic substances such as cocaine, possession and carrying of firearms and drug dealing. Details on the operation, called ‘Devozione’, which is still ongoing, will be made known during a press conference to be held at 11am in the meeting room of the Catania Police Headquarters.
The investigation called “Devozione” which led to 13 people in prison and identified two drug trafficking groups. The first led by Carmelo Scilio, Melo “aricchiazzi”, who from house arrest managed a thriving cocaine trafficking with “important” Calabrian contacts and the second group of narcos had the Calabrian transplanted to Catania, Bruno Cidoni the promoter, was coordinated by pm Tiziana Laudani and the deputy prosecutor Ignazio Fonzo.
In the pages of the order of the investigating judge Ottavio Grasso the statements of the collaborators Carmelo Martino Sanfilippo, Salvatore Castorina and Michele Vinciguerra.
The names of those arrested are Giuseppe Addamo, Fabrizio Cavallaro, Bruno Cidoni, Luigi Danilo Garozzo, Gino Gueli, Francesco Mannino, Antonio Pezzano, Angelo Ribera, Francesco Sedici, Pietro Sedici, Salvatore Torrisi, Santo Vitale and Pasquale Zangari.
The suspects mentioned above are seriously suspected, with different profiles of responsibility to the state of the documents and in relation to the procedural phase which has not yet allowed the establishment of the cross-examination with the intervention of the defense, of the crime of criminal association aimed at trafficking and dealing in narcotic substances. Furthermore, some of them are seriously suspected of the crimes of possession and illegal possession of a common clandestine firearm.
The restrictive measure, issued on the basis of investigations coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate and carried out by the Flying Squad – Anti-drug Section of the Catania Police Headquarters, includes the results of a complex and detailed investigative activity started in June 2020.
The investigation, supported by technical measures (telephone, environmental and electronic interceptions and video recordings), made it possible to acquire significant elements against a criminal syndicate dedicated to cocaine trafficking on the Calabria-Sicily axis.
The activities initially involved the group led by Carmelo Scilio, intended “get rich”, subject considered among the most well-known cocaine traffickers operating in this capital.
In particular, it was possible to trace the cocaine supplier of the aforementioned trafficker, who was identified as Bruno Cidoni from Calabria who had been in business with criminal groups from Catania for years and who had long established himself in the city of Catania having his own operational base in district of San Giovanni Galermo. The investigations therefore focused precisely on the figure of Bruno Cidoni, who allegedly managed a vast trafficking of cocaine from Calabria, having his main collaborators in his fellow countrymen Antonio Pezzano and Pasquale Zangari and in the Catania natives Santo Vitale, Pietro Sedici, Giuseppe Addamo, Angelo Ribera and Francesco Sedici. The latter would have been permanently employed as courier during the multiple transports of large consignments of cocaine from Calabria to this capital through the use of cars equipped with special hidden compartments.
The investigative action, in addition to allowing the reconstruction of the internal structure of the association believed to be headed by Bruno Cidoni, made it possible to document, in just under six months, as many as 20 transports and deliveries of large quantities of narcotics which were allegedly carried out by the association criminal to numerous criminals from Catania, some of whom were believed to be linked to various mafia clans in the capital. During the investigation, several seizures of narcotic substances (overall, 11 kg of cocaine) and weapons were carried out (seizure of a 38 caliber revolver pistol with abraded serial number and related ammunition). The sum of €90,300.00 in cash was also found, walled up in a wall of Bruno Cidoni’s home.
All the accusatory hypotheses, currently supported by the GIP, will have to be confirmed when the cross-examination between the parties is established, as legally required.
For the vast and complex dynamic activities in the area aimed at tracing and capturing the recipients of the precautionary measures issued, the Flying Squad of the Catania Police Headquarters made use of the collaboration of the equivalent investigative bodies of Reggio Calabria and Syracuse and was also assisted by the Central operational service, acting under the direct coordination of the Central Anti-Crime Directorate of the State Police which sent several crews from the Crime Prevention Department.
Staff from the local Police Headquarters and its peripheral branches as well as specialized units of the regional Scientific Police Cabinet were also involved.
Some of the recipients of the restrictive measure referred to in today’s anti-drug operation, already restricted for other reasons, were notified of the measure at the various institutions that host them.
Overall, for today’s Judicial Police Operation – conventionally called “Devotion” – around 100 State Police operators were employed.
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