Two suspects remain in prison for the raids on armored vehicles: the preliminary investigation confirms the prosecution's findings.

The Sassari Review Court rejected the appeal filed by the defense of Riccardo Mercuriu (30, from Mamoiada, represented by Francesco Lai) and Pasquale Musina (49, from Orgosolo, represented by Riccardo Floris). The two therefore remain in prison: they were the only ones among those arrested to have challenged the precautionary custody order signed by Nuoro investigating judge Giovanni Angelicchio.

The decision fully confirms the accusatory framework outlined by the Prosecutor's Office , which describes the group as "perfectly organized and ready to shoot to kill" in the context of robberies and assaults on armored vehicles planned in Sardinia.

Peppino Puligheddu , a 60-year-old from Orgosolo, remains central to the investigation. He is considered the gang's alleged insider and observer. Arrested after a brief period as a fugitive, Puligheddu, assisted by lawyers Paola Marteddu and Giovanni Angelo Colli, is considered by investigators to be a crucial piece of the entire investigation into the robberies .

According to the Nuoro Police investigation, coordinated by prosecutor Ireno Satta and chief of the Flying Squad, Fabio Di Lella, the group operated with a high level of planning: silent phones that communicated only with each other, constant travel between Barbagia and Baronia , meticulously planned on-site inspections, and particular attention to covering up traces. Telephone numbers registered to fictitious identities were supposed to allow the suspects to evade wiretaps and digital surveillance. Physical precautions were also rigorous: balaclavas, stolen vehicles, cars burned after the attacks or treated with bleach to eliminate any DNA residue .

This methodology emerges most forcefully in the episode of August 8, 2025, when the gang gathered in the former Marfili warehouse, on the industrial outskirts of Siniscola, with the aim of robbing a Battistolli armored van that had just arrived in Olbia. The plan, constructed step by step, fell apart at the last moment. Puligheddu is also believed to be involved in the March 13 robbery of the Mondialpol armored vehicle on the road between Torpè and Lodè, where €90,000 and a security guard's gun were stolen . Among the various charges brought against the group, investigators also include the robbery of the Pratosardo Monopolies depot in Nuoro , which netted over €300,000 in cigarettes. Records and surveillance images allegedly tracked Puligheddu's movements in the area, in sync with those of the other members of the group.

The investigation is also investigating further incidents attributable to the same operating pattern, which have never been formally contested but are already under investigation. With the rejection of the retrial, Mercuriu and Musina remain in prison along with the other principal suspects: Michele Carta, 41, from Siniscola; Antonio Antonio Saccheddu, 35, from Orgosolo , represented by the lawyer Margherita Baragliu; Alessandro Dessolis, 41, from Orgosolo , represented by Stefano Murgia; and Giovanni Piras, 29, from Orgosolo , represented by the lawyer Carmelino Fenudi.