The Italian prosecutor’s office has opened criminal proceedings against a well-known lawyer, Daniela Paccoi, who is suspected of having served as an intermediary in an international criminal drug trafficking network with links to Albanian organizations.
The investigation is taking place in the city of Perugia, while she is currently being investigated at large. According to the investigative file, Paccoi is suspected of having played a key role in the communication between the leaders of a criminal organization and a client of hers, previously arrested with a quantity of about 65 kilograms of cocaine.
The prosecution alleges that the lawyer relayed messages between Albania and the prison, helping to coordinate communications and ensuring that the identities of collaborators remained hidden. According to investigators, she even participated in a staged scheme to simulate cooperation with authorities by “falsely finding” a quantity of smuggled drugs.
In the investigation coordinated by the Perugia prosecutor’s office, two other people are also mentioned: an Albanian citizen suspected of being the organization’s courier and cashier in Italy, as well as businessman Matteo Coresi. According to investigators, Coresi – the brother of a client previously protected by Paccoi – was arrested in an operation that discovered 65 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a vehicle and a business in Foligno
The Guardia di Finanza authorities have been following the case through wiretaps and surveillance, including inside the Capanne Prison. According to the indictment, the criminal network is suspected of using secret communication channels and payments to influence the judicial process, even offering “solutions” for easier treatment by the Italian justice system.
Investigators also say that another shipment of drugs was organized, which was then hidden in a rural area near Casenove, in order to simulate cooperation with the authorities. Coresi is expected to appear in court on May 7 in an expedited procedure, while investigations into the role of the lawyer and the alleged criminal network continue.
