Apr,6,2019
The first conviction for mafia operating in the Biella area was pronounced yesterday in the halls of the Biella Court, confirming and sanctioning the existence of the 'ndrangheta in this province. Epilogue of a long and complex investigative activity started in 2009, by the Biella Flying Squad led by Commissioner Marika Viscovo and from Turin, coordinated by the Turin Antimafia District Directorate. The Court of Biella pronounced a sentence against the defendants Antonio Raso, 77 years old, Angelo Di Corrado from 46 and Suvad Operta, a native of Bosnia and Herzegovina, all reported to the competent Judicial Authority, together with numerous other subjects, to the outcome of investigative activity aimed at combating 'Ndrangheta-type organized crime, with particular reference to the Piedmontese offshoots of the "Raso - Gullace - Albanese" by Cittanova and "Pesce - Bellocco" from Rosarno. In particular,Antonio Raso was sentenced to 14 years ' imprisonment for mafia-type criminal association, as head promoter of the Biella branch of the reference gang and the so-called "Santhià ndrangheta club", as well as for three cases of extortion towards Biellese entrepreneurs, aggravated by the mafia mode. With regard to Raso, in addition to compensation for damages in favor of the established civil parties, including the Municipality of Santhià, the confiscation of what was already the subject of the preventive seizure order issued by the Turin magistrate on June 16, 2016 was also ordered. relating to current accounts, movable and immovable assets.
Accountant Angelo Di Corrado was sentenced to 8 years ' imprisonment and 2,700 euro fine for external competition in mafia association, having acted while maintaining relative autonomy, with the awareness of thus contributing to the permanence and consolidation of the criminal association of Satin; for concurrence of persons in the possession and in the illegal port in a public place of a gun, with the aggravating circumstance of which in the art. 7 for having committed the fact in order to facilitate the 'Ndrangheta association of the Raso as well as for extortion aggravated by the Mafia modalities, perpetrated, together with members of the Raso gang, against local entrepreneurs.

The Bosnian citizen Suvad Operta , originally stolen from the execution of the precautionary measures arranged under the "Alto Piemonte" operation and arrested by investigators of the Flying Squad on 21 March 2017 on his return from Bosnia, was sentenced to the penalty years 7of imprisonment and € 27,000 of fine, for illegal detention and port in the public place of two pistols, common weapons, with the aggravating circumstance of having committed the act in order to facilitate the 'Ndrangheta association of the Raso; for aggravated robbery perpetrated, in competition with members of the Raso family, against the manager of a nightclub; for having, with more executive actions than the same criminal design, in competition with members of the Raso gang, illegally transferred on several occasions astounding substance of the cocaine type.

Already on October 15, 2018, the Court of Appeal of Turin had substantially confirmed the penalties inflicted on the outcome of the trial held shortly for the sons of Antonio Raso, all convicted of mafia association and a plurality of other crimes and currently limited in detention facilities, as well as against subjects considered adjoining to the Mafia association of the Raso: Diego Raso , 14 years and 2 months of imprisonment; Antonio Miccoli , 13 years and 2 months of imprisonment; Enrico Raso , 8 years and 8 months of imprisonment; Giovanni Raso (known as "Rocco") , years 8 and months 7 of imprisonment; Giovanni Raso , 6 years and 11 months of imprisonment; Cosimo Di Mauro, years 4 and 4 months of imprisonment; Giuseppe Avenoso , years 3 and 10 months of imprisonment.