Everyone knows Alessio Salucci or ‘Uccio, he’s so well known as Valentino Rossi’s BFF, that he also gets requests for autographs.
Uccio got into a little trouble a couple years ago and yesterday had to appear in court to contest charges that he was driving under the influence of drugs and refusing to take a drug test.
The story goes back to June 11, 2008 when Salucci was called in by the Carabinieri of Cattolica who were investigating cocaine trafficking ring between the Marche region and the Rimini area.
The police wanted to grill Uccio regarding some of their suspects that he supposedly knew and went to the same bar as he did.
He informed the police that yes he knew these people in a passing way, but did not hang out with them, but according to the Carabinieri’s testimony they became suspicious of Uccio’s behaviour saying that “something was wrong” believing that he was under the influence of drugs and asking him to submit himself to a drug test, which Salucci refused to do.
The cops immediately pulled his driving license, and Salucci who arrived at Cattolica with Valentino Rossi’s Mini was forced to call a friend to pick him up.
Uccio said he was clean and a drug test two days later proved it, but the Italian said that the request for him to undergo the test was just high handed intimidation by the police and filed a lawsuit against them.
His lawsuit was archived and the Carabinieri filed one against him for perjury.
The judge adjourned the trial until September 21st.
If this all sounds very complicated, it is.
The Italian justice system is at its lowest and almost impossible to understand (ask Berlusconi) and trials drag out forever.