The yacht was chartered from a San Marino charter company by a Russian. They started from a marina in Rimini. They stopped in Brindisi and the yacht left the marina of Brindisi at 5:30 am.
GENOA had stolen the yacht Pepe e Sale (Salt and Pepper) which hit the Punta Riso dam in Brindisi. This is confirmed by an operation of the Ligurian police who tells of a international traffic of stolen yachts in which also was involved Alessandro Colangeli, skipper, 59-year old, Salt and Pepper died as a result of the sinking . The name of Colangeli appears among the suspects for the theft on commission for the Arab market and Eastern Europe. Police arrested seven people, a band specializing which was also part of a Foggia police officer in charge of revealing details about the investigation, and now accused of corruption.
At the head of the organization: the Calabrian Sergio Bolognino, 44, arrested in Bassano del Grappa and the romano Vincenzo Buttarelli, 48, arrested in Trimignano . The two were stopped at Treviso airport police while returning to Italy with 200 thousand euro in cash, a deposit "on the sale of a yacht. Bolognino and Buttarelli are under investigation for conspiracy to aggravated theft. The same accusation for Giovanni Pietro Montello, Genoa 63 years while Bonalumi and his right arm, the Foggia Federico De Matteis, are accused of receiving stolen goods.
Colangeli, then, on June 17, when he was the victim of the accident, was on his way to deliver the vessel. A failure stopped the motor yacht of 40 meters, which then ended at the dam. Colangeli ended up in the sea with two other people. When they came for help, skipper of Stimigliano Rieti, it was too late. The man died by drowning.
Officially it was ruled asphyxiation by drowning. The captain was under water for an hour.