COSENZA Drug debts, bills to pay and the need to resort to “under the table“: a practice unwelcome to the Cosenza clans, seen as a “betrayal” or rather one blunder to pay. It is the confession of the collaborator of justice Giuseppe Zaffonte. Who in a long report given before the anti-mafia magistrates of Catanzaro reels off the details relating to a debt contracted with some elements of organized crime in Cosenza. The repentant explains, in great detail, the “system” linked to drug dealing and the delivery of the proceeds to the alleged “Cosenza ‘Ndrangheta Confederation”. «I had a group of guys who pretended to be me, I had the obligation to pay for the narcotics that I procured from time to time and placed on the market (…) the non-payment of the latter for some supplies (refers to pushers, ed) it caused me to have less financial availability and I was unable to deliver the sum of 5 thousand euros within the times established with my suppliers». The money, says Zaffonte, should have been delivered to two men gravitating in the Bruzia criminal galaxy and he will turn to them “to supply “under the table” and without the knowledge of the Lanzino clandrugs to sell to recover money to be delivered to Marco D’Alessandro (investigated in the “Recovery” investigation), the man who is currently in charge of managing the dealing of cocaine and marijuana on behalf of Michele De Puppo (investigated in the “Recovery” investigation). Zaffonte’s story dates back to 2019. The repentant admits to having «acted as a “courier” for the group. At least four times, in the last two months, I went to Crotone to deliver large quantities of cocaine and marijuanawhich I always transported on board my car and which I loaded on board in the Rende village area near the public housing (…) for this illegal activity of mine I received the sum of 1,500 euros for each tripalthough at least twice they gave me only 350 euros, telling me that they would then pay me after doing some calculations…”.
The role of D’Alessandro
The justice collaborator describes the role that Marco D’Alessandro would have assumed. «His task is to manage drug dealing and usury, and he is very dangerous because he is capable of committing any type of crime». But how is the placing of drugs on the market managed? «Once supplied cocaine is “cut” and divided into packages of 50 or 100 grams and then delivered to pushers» (…) As for the marijuana, it is supplied by the Rende group from the same people who supply the cocaine, but it is brought to Rende directly by them. Once you reach Rende, however, marijuana is stored and sold in the same way I told you about cocaine».
The other collaborators on Di Puppo
Not just Zaffonte. It is other repentants who inform the magistrates of the Catanzaro DDA about drug trafficking in Cosenza and in the Bruzio hinterland. Franco Bruzzesein 2016, underlines: «As regards the sale of hashish, it was bought and sold in common like cocaine; for a period the purchase was the prerogative of Michele Di Puppo, who purchased up to 50 kg in the Marano area of Naples, then I took action with a friend of mine.” Celestino Abbruzzese alias “Micetto”, in 2019, says: «I know that the Di Puppos manage drugs and extortion in the areas of Saporito di Rende, Castiglione Cosentino and Marano, I can’t say whether they are Marquisate or Principality. (…) I know that there are guys in Cosenza who work for them dealing cocaine.” (fb)
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