The chief prosecutor in Naples, Nicola Gratteri, said in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa on Monday that top figures of mafia organizations can often communicate freely from prison. The Italian prison system, he says, is “a failure” and “reduced to a sieve.” The statements are striking because Minister of Justice Dilan Yesligöz wants the Netherlands to introduce “Italian” measures to prevent serious criminals from continuing their activities from prison.
To fail
Minister of Legal Protection Franc Weerwind is working on a policy to further minimize contacts of certain detainees with the outside world.
‘The bosses can call from one prison to another. This means the failure of our system,” Gratteri told La Stampa.
Mafia fighter Gratteri estimates that about a hundred mobile phones are active in every prison, even in the most secure facilities.
He also says that mafia prisoners organize group conversations with each other.
Dominated
According to the Naples prosecutor, mafia bosses use their phones to regulate drug trafficking within prisons. They direct other prisoners. Because certain prisons are often dominated by a certain clan, he believes, drug trafficking is easier than on the street because there is no competition.
Last year, 2,000 mobile phones were found in cells in Italy.
According to Gratteri, a total of approximately 140 mobile phones were recently found in Rossano prison, near Cosenza, including in high-security departments.
Also see:
Lawyers checked for ‘suspicious behavior’ in penal institutions
RvS criticizes recorded conversations between lawyer and detainee
