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'Ndrangheta, the repentant Giampà: «Drug bins at Ascone's house, I also bought weapons from him»
The collaborator of justice, during the hearing in the bunker courtroom, spoke of his “intimate” relations with 'U Pinnularu. «He wanted me to torture one of his men after a robbery but I refused»

LAMEZIA TERME «I was referring more to Luigi Mancuso as a person to be esteemed, but there were also the Cuturellos, Salvatore Ascone, always linked to arms and drug trafficking». Responding to the prosecutor of the DDA of Catanzaro, Andrea Buzzelli, was the collaborator of justice Giuseppe Giampà, born in 1980, questioned during the hearing of the “Maestrale” trial taking place in the bunker courtroom before the judges of the Court of Vibo Valentia.
«With Ascone – explained Giampà – I had personal relationships, I often went to his house. I remember that he had hidden drums with drugs inside, from cocaine to heroin and marijuana, he kept them in a sort of stable. Then I remember that he had a large quantity of weapons, from him I bought Kalashnikovs, pistols, M12s, but above all drugs, hashish, marijuana and cocaine».

The Ionian and Flag
Regarding Ascone, the repentant explained: «I know he had relationships with families from the Jonica area, they often met and went to him to buy drugs, especially when they ran out of money from their usual suppliers. I know this because on many occasions I also happened to be at these meetings». The repentant, still speaking of Salvatore Ascone, confirmed «that he was referring to “Bandera”, on Peppe Mancuso’s side, I know they called him “Pinnularu”, this was his nickname».

salvatore ascone drug trafficking vibo
Salvatore Ascone 'U Pinnularu
The theft of money and the attempted revenge
In his speech, Giuseppe Giampà recounts a particular episode about Ascone. "There was an occasion when one of his men, a man of his who handled the transportation and movement of money for him, was robbed." According to Giampà's story, "Ascone thought that the person responsible for the tip was someone who worked with him, perhaps a Ukrainian or Bulgarian citizen , I don't remember, but I remember that he asked both me and my cousin Stagno to kill this person." For his part, Giampà explained in a live link to the courtroom, "I had made myself available to kill him, but I wanted to do it with a classic ambush. I remember that Ascone, on the other hand, wanted us to capture him and kidnap him, in short, he wanted us to bring him to him so that he could interrogate him himself, he wanted to torture him and make him talk, but under these conditions I backed out." In his story, Giampà explained that "Ascone had turned to some people in Rosarno, but I don't know the details. The only thing I remember is that this person then disappeared, but I don't know anything else."

The shop in Tropea
Speaking of Bandera – whose name he doesn’t remember – Giampà said that he was in any case «one of the Mancusos. Once with Ascone we went to his house, my cousin Stagno was there, but I don’t remember the place or the reasons». As representatives of the Mancusos, do you remember anyone else? asks the prosecutor Buzzelli. «I also met Diego Mancuso, there was an entrepreneur from Lamezia Terme who was opening a clothing store near Tropea and with him we went to the house of this Mancuso, they introduced me to him on that occasion, I remember that there was a sort of comparison». «They “passed him on as news” that is, in these cases, the news of a possible opening of a business is passed on to the local bosses – the collaborator explained – to avoid any acts of intimidation, or even the opportunity to establish bribes, discounts in stores and things like that». «I remember that he was often in prison, so I only saw him a couple of times in the early 2000s». ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )