In September 2017, the “cocaine king” of Milan Rocco Morabito was arrested in Uruguay - one of the most wanted members of the Italian mafia organization Ndrangheta by Interpol. He was responsible for transporting drugs to Italy from South America and hiding from justice for almost 25 years. In 1994, the mafioso was arrested in Italy, but was able to escape. In Uruguay, Morabito lived under a strange name since the early 2000s.
In the Central Prison of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, the drug lord was awaiting extradition to Italy, where he faced more than 30 years of imprisonment on charges of drug trafficking on an especially large scale. On June 23, 2019, the mafioso escaped.
As it turned out later, Morabito bribed one of the jailers for $ 1,500, and also paid for the help of two other prisoners who left through a hole in the roof with him. Morabito's aides were soon arrested, but the "cocaine king" managed to disappear.
- Montevideo Central Prison
- © MIGUEL ROJO / AFP
"Russian trace"
A few days after the escape of Morabito, members of the local special forces and Interpol carried out an operation in a small pizzeria Eatalian Style in the elite quarter of the Uruguayan capital. According to local and Italian media, the co-owner of the restaurant, Russian Sergei Ya, was detained as a result of the assault. According to security officials, he helped Morabito escape and covered him.
As RT found out, we are talking about the 59-year-old Muscovite Sergei Yakovlev, who about five years ago, together with his teenage son and sister-in-law, moved to Uruguay, where he received a residence permit.
The court detained Yakovlev for 90 days - during the investigation. However, in court, Yakovlev explained that he and his family were threatened. As Russian lawyer Paola Vitale told reporters, it was because of the threats that he agreed to help the Italian drug lord escape. Contact with Paola Vitale RT failed.
According to a source familiar with the investigation, Yakovlev did not hide from law enforcement officers that he knew Morabito even before his arrest - the Italian often came to his family with him in a different restaurant that the Russian kept in Putna del Este in 2017. As the interlocutor of RT notes, Yakovlev visited the drug lord in Montevideo prison with the Morabito family.
This is confirmed by friends of the restaurateur.
“Once we stopped at a pizzeria, and Sergei said that he was going to go to jail to Morabito,” recalls a friend of restaurateur Anna Bamburova in an interview with RT. - He did not hide the fact that he knew him, but said that before the arrest he did not know who he really was, since he lived under a different name. For several years they simply communicated as acquaintances, and Sergey believed that it was somehow not human to break ties due to the fact that Morabito was arrested. ”
- Police and Interpol Raid at Eatalian Slyle Restaurant
- © Montevideo Portal
According to a RT source, law enforcement officers were able to establish that after the escape, the prisoners first went to the restaurant to Yakovlev, and the Russian in his car took the criminals from Montevideo to Minas.
In addition, thanks to recordings from video cameras, the investigation established that Morabito then returned with Yakovlev to Montevideo - went to the pizzeria and “disappeared”.
Later, the investigation had a version that Yakovlev not only helped the criminals to escape, but also kept the restaurant as a screen for the illegal business that he was running from Morabito.
Chef's exposure
This version was actively discussed in the Italian press. So, the former restaurant chef Paolo Moalli, who worked for Yakovlev in 2017, told reporters that the institution’s management was not interested in developing the business, but at the same time paid fabulous salaries to employees.
“Although I had never seen anything like this, it was obvious that something strange was happening in this pizzeria,” Moally recalled. “They threw away money; they showed no interest in the place.” For the first four days of work, they gave me $ 400. I thought it was an advance to be deducted from the salary, but no - the salary was very high compared to how much the chefs in Uruguay receive. There was a Grimaldi oven - the best oven in the world, which is made in Naples. It costs about $ 30 thousand. "
- Naples stove in Yakovlev restaurant
Moalli says about the Russian boss Sergei Yakovlev that he was not like the usual owner of a pizzeria.
“Every day he went with a bundle of money. He always treated me well, took me to the best restaurants in Uruguay. I have never had a problem. But being in close contact with a person, it is always clear if something strange comes from him, ”said the cook.
After working for two months, Moally decided to quit the strange restaurant.
Decent, but adventurous
However, other employees of Yakovlev and his friends claim that he devoted a lot of time to the pizzeria, but did not litter it with money.
According to Anna Bamburova, Yakovlev could hardly be suspected of involvement in the criminal world.
“We met when he was preparing a pizzeria for the opening. He always had a special relationship with the restaurant. With great pride he brought from Italy a unique oven, ingredients for the preparation of pizza and pasta, he was actively involved in the design and repair of the restaurant premises. Sergey participated in the work on the recipe, invited Italian chefs to make the kitchen as authentic as possible. He is an adequate person, sociable, open-minded, always ready to help, ”she told RT.
In turn, Igor Mosk, who worked in the restaurant until the special forces stormed, said in an interview with RT that the pizzeria was unlikely to bring serious income, but Yakovlev was involved in the business of the establishment.
“For a month I worked in a restaurant in the kitchen,” recalls Mosk. - Sergey devoted pizzerias all the time - he was in a restaurant for eight hours, he himself prepared pizza. A lot of time and effort was invested in the restaurant. However, in my opinion, he really did not bring much profit. According to my estimates - € 5 thousand per month, from which we must deduct provisions, salaries and other expenses.
- Sergey Yakovlev receives in his restaurant the famous Uruguayan businessman and publicist Alfredo Etchegaray
According to the interlocutor of RT, Yakovlev is "a decent, but adventurous person."
“Perhaps his adventurism led to such an outcome,” he says. - I don’t think Sergey was constantly engaged in something illegal, but he could very well go on what he is now charged with. But I was still shocked at what happened, ”added Mosk.
It also cannot be said that Yakovlev led a secretive lifestyle in Uruguay, as befits criminals. The entrepreneur actively discussed the problems of life in Latin America in social networks with fellow countrymen, went to meetings with representatives of the Russian diaspora, and constantly invited Russians to his restaurant.
Deal without evidence
One way or another, according to an RT source, the prosecutor’s office has not yet been able to prove that the restaurant served as a cover for the cocaine business.
“The prosecutor’s office has no specific evidence against Yakovlev, although they say that some evidence is still being worked out,” the source said. - But taking into account the fact that even visits by Yakovlev in Morabito prison were not registered, although they should have, it says that they are unlikely to find anything. Therefore, the prosecutor's office is preparing to offer Yakovlev a deal. As far as I know, they can offer him to plead guilty to concealment in exchange for minimum punishment, ”the source said.
At the Russian Embassy in Uruguay, RT said that they were following the investigation and providing the necessary assistance to the Russian.
“He was charged with harboring a criminal,” said Alexander Belousov, head of the consular department of the embassy, in an interview with RT. “All the necessary consular assistance is being provided; consular staff visit him every week.” The conditions are satisfactory. ”
The embassy notes that 90 days of arrest will expire in early October, after which the arrest can be extended if the investigation is not completed by this time.
Choi and Kobzon
Together with Yakovlev, after a raid in a restaurant, his sister-in-law Irina Tsoi, who worked in Eatalian Style as a chef, as well as a baker named Alexander, was detained. After interrogations, law enforcement officers released them.
It is interesting that, according to some reports, Irina Tsoi may be the sister of the famous actress Anastasia Tsoi - the former daughter-in-law of Joseph Kobzon. The actress refused to answer RT's questions about the possible connection of the family with Sergey Yakovlev. Contact Irina Tsoi RT failed.
To co-owners of the institution - Italians Fabrizio Gravano and Luigi Iavarone - the law enforcement officers apparently did not have any questions.