From being a defendant—on weapons and drug charges—in the trial of the network of supporters who allegedly facilitated the escape from Badu'e Carros prison in Nuoro and the fugitive status of Foggia-born mafia boss Marco Raduano, now a cooperating witness, himself a fugitive. This is the latest development involving Pietro Antonio Tolu from Oruno, who has been missing for about a month and was officially declared a fugitive earlier this week after failing to be located following the notification of an execution order for a previous drug conviction, dating back about ten years, which was upheld this spring by the Supreme Court of Cassation, which carries a four-year prison sentence.
The escape
His disappearance comes while the trial against him and fellow citizen Antonio Mangia is still underway before the Nuoro Court. The latter is accused of aiding—by taking him from the makeshift hideout on Via Aligi Sassu in Nuoro—the escape and subsequent fugitive status of Marco Raduano, the Gargano crime boss who escaped from Badu 'e Carros prison in February 2023 and is now a cooperating witness. At the very last hearing, the cooperating witness testified via video link before the panel chaired by Elena Meloni, answering questions from the prosecutors of the Cagliari District Anti-Mafia Directorate. Mangia and Tolu's defense, represented by lawyers Ivano Iai and Giancarmelo Serra, had argued that the cooperating witness's statements were not objectively supported.
House arrest and fugitive status
The case today, however, takes on a more peculiar tone considering that just a year ago, the Nuoro Court granted the defense's request to replace his prison detention with house arrest, deeming Tolu fit to care for his eighty-year-old mother after the precautionary measure was issued. The measure, however, was executed late due to the lack of an available electronic tag, which forced the defendant to remain in prison despite the benefit having been granted.
Today, the situation has completely changed: Tolu has been untraceable for about a month and is officially wanted after being declared a fugitive following his failure to be located to serve his previous final sentence for drug crimes.
