NEW YORK, NY<\/b><\/p>\n
Using his ties with the GAMBINO organized crime family in New York and the NDRANGHETA crime organization in Calabria, Italy–in court documents filed by Justice Department officials and Italian prosecutors–authorities alleged FRANCO LUPOI and NICOLA ANTONIO SIMONETTA sought to establish a drug trafficking network in New York using several legitimate shipping businesses\u2014transporting heroin and cocaine between the United States and Italy.\u00a0 Meeting with an FBI undercover agent in 2012, SIMONETTA and LUPOI discussed plans to ship the narcotics using the port of Gioia Tauro in Calabria which Italian prosecutors said was the hub for criminal activities for the NDRANGHETA clan.\u00a0 SIMONETTA, an Italian resident and LUPOI\u2019s father-in-law, said he could guarantee safe shipment of the contraband because of his ties with NDRANGHETA\u2014adding port officials had been corrupted.<\/p>\n
Working with their Italian counterparts, the FBI identified SIMONETTA as a member of the URSINO crime family lead by FRANCESCO URSINO a known Italian mobster thought to be responsible for the NDRANGHETA crime faction in Calabria.\u00a0 In a resulting joint investigation involving the Italian National Police [INP] in Italy, LUPOI and URSINO sold 1.3 kilograms of heroin to an FBI undercover agent for distribution in the United States, and in New York, LUPOI and associates ALEXANDER CHAN and JOSE ALFREDO GARCIA sold another kilogram of heroin to the undercover agent.<\/p>\n
The FBI undercover agent also laundered more than $500,000 in funds with LUPOI as a result of an alleged criminal network he had established using associates DOMINIC ALI, CHARLES \u201cCHARLIE PEPSIE\u201d CENTRO and CHRISTOS FASARKIS\u2014an employee who worked at the ALMA BANK in Brooklyn.\u00a0 The defendants were told the funds were illegal proceeds involving narcotics and weapons trafficking.\u00a0 Agents said CENTARO maintained he had access to bank accounts with millions of dollars through which he could launder illicit proceeds.<\/p>\n
Satisfied with the FBI undercover agent\u2019s criminal bonafides, the indictment indicated LUPOI set into motion efforts to transport 500 kilograms of cocaine from Guyana to Calabria using a local fish importation business\u2014concealing the coke as frozen food.\u00a0 In exchange for $200,000 Euros, he said a port official had guaranteed the contraband\u2019s safe passage to the United States.\u00a0 In recorded conversations discussing the shipments, the FBI undercover agent was told NDRANGHETA was associated with several Mexican drug cartels operating in Guyana, South America enabling them to get the drugs.\u00a0 Italian court documents suggested the scheme was interrupted when MAYAYSIAN authorities discovered cocaine valued at more than $7 million concealed in pineapples and coconut milk being shipped by the same Guyanese shipping company connected to NDRANGHETA.<\/p>\n
The indictment also alleged another member of the NDRANGHETA clan identified as RAFFAELE VALENTE sold an illegal silencer and sawed off shotgun to the FBI undercover agent.\u00a0 According to Italian wiretaps, VALENTE was also suspected of assembling a group of well-armed men in New York to support their operations.<\/p>\n
As a result of the FBI investigation, U.S. Justice Department officials said a Federal Grand Jury [FGJ], in Eastern District of New York [EDNY], in Brooklyn, New York returned a fifteen [15] count indictment charging LUPIO, CHAN, GARCIA, CENTARO, ALI, FASARAKIS, and VALENTE with narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and firearms violations and Italian authorities said seventeen [17] members of the NDRANGHETA organized crime family were charged with criminal activities in Calabria because of the joint investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK, NY Using his ties with the GAMBINO organized crime family in New York and the NDRANGHETA crime organization [Read More »]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[88,93,90,91,89,87,85,83,94,84,86,92],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n