Accused in the United States of having been part of a vast network of drug traffickers, one of the brothers of the Scoppa mafia clan believes that the evidence amassed by the FBI is too weak to justify his extradition.
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Roberto Scoppa, 56, was back in court this Tuesday at the Montreal courthouse, hoping to stay in Quebec and thus avoid risking spending years in American jails.
This is because according to the American authorities, the brother of the deceased Andrea and Salvatore Scoppa would have been involved in a vast drug network which operated across the entire continent. According to the FBI, before being handcuffed, the criminals were able to dispose of 951 kg of cocaine, 845 kg of methamphetamines, 20 kg of fentanyl and 4 kg of heroin.
Roberto Scoppa
Courtesy photo
“Each individual had a role in the criminal group, with suppliers in Mexico who transported the drugs to the United States, distributors, a Canadian who took care of exports, drivers…,” the prosecutors’ office said. from California.
A “wholesaler”
Scoppa, who was based in Montreal, was allegedly a “wholesaler” for criminals who operated in Florida, Texas and Western Canada. It was he who bought “massive quantities” of drugs, to be sold either domestically or to our neighbors to the South, the Americans say.
Photo courtesy, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The team of lawyers representing Scoppa, however, has a different opinion. Because if the evidence allows us to believe that there was a conspiracy between drug traffickers, it is not sufficient for Scoppa to be convicted “beyond a reasonable doubt”.
The American authorities have dismantled, in collaboration with the RCMP among others, a network of drug traffickers which includes Roberto Scoppa, the brother of the murdered mafiosi Andrea and Salvatore Scoppa. Courtesy Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Photo courtesy, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
And in this case, Scoppa should not be extradited, his lawyers arguees Jeffrey Boro, Gabriel Fosse and Chantal Bellavance.
Me Erin Morgan, who represents the Attorney General of Canada for the United States, is obviously of the opposite opinion and pleads for Scoppa to be handed over to American justice.
Judge Catherine Perreault, who is hearing the case, is expected to make her decision later.
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