Seven years in prison for a sailboat owner who arrived in Funchal with 300 kilos of cocaine

The two Italian crew members of the sailboat ‘Goldmund’, which arrived at the Funchal marina in June 2020 with around 300 kilos of cocaine on board, had different fortunes from the judgment that took place this afternoon by the Funchal Central Criminal Court (Building 2000) . Guido Consigli, aged 60, owner of the vessel, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for the crime of ‘trafficking and other illegal activities’ (article 21 of the so-called drug law).

Claudio Paradisi, 54, who had been hired as a mechanic, was acquitted. The collective of judges, chaired by Fernanda Sequeira, also decided that the assets seized from the defendants, including the sailboat (with a value between 150 thousand and 200 thousand euros), must be returned to the owners.

Guido Consigli, who had been in preventive detention since the drug was seized, did not attend the reading, as he suffers from an oncological disease and during the trial was transferred to the prison hospital in Caxias (Lisbon area). Claudio Paradisi, who was under house arrest, was ordered to be released immediately. The defendant did not hide his relief, having thanked the court and given a hug to its defender, the Madeira lawyer Etelvina Gomes. His acquittal was largely due to the fact that the vessel’s owner assured that the mechanic was unaware of the existence of cocaine hidden in hatches at the rear of the sailboat.

This trial began on 22nd September this year.

From Diário Notícias