Mafia leader Giuseppe Ursino has lost a bid for parole after a drug trafficking conviction.
Ursino, a Bradford grandfather, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in February 2019 for conspiring to traffic more than a kilogram of cocaine, two counts of the commission of a crime for a criminal organization, and possession of less than $5,000 of property obtained by crime.
He was described in court as a senior leader of the 鈥楴drangheta strain of the Mafia.
He is being held in an undisclosed prison.
The Appeal Division of the Parole Board concluded this month that Ursino is not eligible for parole on medical grounds because he鈥檚 not terminally ill and doesn鈥檛 have a physical or mental condition that鈥檚 likely to result in serious damage if he remains in custody.
The board noted that he uses a wheelchair behind bars and has undergone chemotherapy and blood transfusions, and that he has cardiac issues as well.
鈥淪taff in your living unit indicate you are able to manage your hygiene and cooking, though other offenders help you when needed,鈥 the board noted in its ruling.
Ursino also argued to the parole board that an assistant was blocked from giving information to the board that he is not a high level 鈥渂oss鈥 in organized crime.
His assistant, whose name is not given in the parole document provided to The Star, argued that he had 鈥渙btained the maximum benefit of incarceration.鈥
The parole board also noted that he has yet to take responsibility for his offences.
鈥淎t sentencing, the judge noted aggravating factors included the type, quality and quantity of drugs being imported, your status as a high-ranking member of a criminal organization, and recordings/video of meetings for plans to import hundreds of kilograms of cocaine,鈥 the parole board noted.
In his trial, the soft-spoken grandfather shrugged off allegations that he鈥檚 a senior Mafia member.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a boss, not even in my own family,鈥 Ursino said through an Italian-language interpreter.
Paid police agent Carmine Guido told his trial otherwise, testifying that Ursino was a senior member of the board of directors of the 鈥橬drangheta in the GTA 鈥 called the 鈥淐amera Di Controllo.鈥
Ursino testified he didn鈥檛 know what that meant and that his own secretly recorded words shouldn鈥檛 be taken too seriously either.
鈥淭he stupid words come out of my mouth,鈥 Ursino testified. 鈥淲hat I鈥檓 talking is one thing. What I mean is another.鈥
Court heard Guido was paid $2.4 million for his two years of undercover work.
Guido testified he could have made far more money if he had continued life in the criminal world, where he was active in fraud, drug trafficking, debt collection and enforcement. He also worked in the construction industry.
Guido was given a new identity and relocated by police but was kicked out of the witness protection program in 2016.
He could not be reached for comment.
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation