The Court of Cassation annulled all nine charges for Pasquale Forastefano, alleged head of the Abbruzzese-Forastefano mafia association dedicated to drug trafficking and arms trafficking on a global scale. His name stands out among the 25 arrested as part of the maxi-drug investigation on an international and intercontinental scale called “Gentlemen 2”, which took place at dawn on June 5th in the Cosentino area.
According to the DDA, Pasquale Forastefano known as “the animal” he would have been the head of an association active in the trafficking of narcotics and weapons at an international (Spain and Serbia) and intercontinental (South America) level. In particular, Forastefano was accused of having directed the association together with Nicola Abbruzzese, taking on a decision-making role in the management of negotiations on the importation of colossal quantities of hashish, heroin and cocaine from South America and Central-Balkan Europe. In particular, through an international letter rogatory, the French, Dutch and Belgian judicial authorities, coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, had hacked a server of the American company Sky-Ecc, through which subjects from all over the world exchanged messages protected from interceptions by the forces of the ‘order.
According to the prosecution among the users of a Sky-Ecc cryptophone there would also have been Forastefano Pasquale, who would have used the futuristic device revealing methods of supply, transport, costs and quantities of the narcotic and imported weapons. The alleged boss at 41 bis was charged with several crimes, including being the head of the association and 8 other charges relating to the importation of drugs and weapons from all over the world.
Forastefano had turned to the TDL which however confirmed the prison sentence. But this decision was challenged by Forastefano before the Supreme Court of Cassation, which – following the hearing held today – fully accepted the appeal presented by the lawyer. Pasquale Di Iacovo of the Castrovillari Court and by the lawyer. Cesare Badolato of the Court of Cosenza and consequently annulled with referral for new examination all nine charges against the suspect. In particular, the Court of Cassation lawyers Di Iacovo and Badolato had exposed in the appeal multiple inconsistencies in the reasoning with which the findings that the defense had made in relation to the demonstrative capacity – of telephone and environmental interceptions – to represent with certainty the use of the Sky-Ecc cryptophone by Pasquale Forastefano. Forastefano had been subjected in October last year 2022 to the harsh regime of 41-bis as part of another maxi-trial called operation “Kossa”. As regards the «Gentlemen 2» maxinvestigation, following the annulment with postponement by the Supreme Court of Cassation, a new trial will have to be held again before the Catanzaro Review Court which will have to take into account the decisions of the Supreme Court.
Satisfaction was expressed by the lawyers Pasquale Di Iacovo and Cesare Badolato, for the «argumentative rigor on the topic of the correct identification of the suspect, which was demonstrated today by the Supreme Court of Cassation listening to the motivational inconsistencies reported by the defense».
