He had been transferred as a punishment to Uta prison, under high surveillance—or, more accurately, special surveillance—for a public video call with Baby Gang during the May Day concert. Thus, after prison officers searched his cell and found a cell phone, rapper Vincenzo "Niko" Pandetta was sent from the Ucciardone prison in Palermo to Sardinia, far from his friends and loved ones. Now, the Cagliari Surveillance Court has released him, granting the request of lawyer Riccardo Floris and sending him to a community center.
Last May 1st, at the One Day Music Festival concert, rapper Baby Gang allegedly made a video call from the stage with his song's co-writer, Niko Pandetta, nephew of mafia boss Turi Cappello, who has been detained in Palermo prison for drug dealing since October 2022. This act was filmed by many in attendance, who then posted videos on social media, leading to an investigation and the search that uncovered the cell phone.
After that incident, the Head of the Penitentiary Administration Department had decided to apply the 14bis regime to the 34-year-old for 6 months, urgently transferring him to the Uta prison.
