The court was going to release him, but the defendant himself requested to serve the actual sentence after admitting his addiction and fear of reoffending
Agregar La Derecha Diario en
Compartir:
An unusual fact surprised the Federal Oral Criminal Court No. 3 of Córdoba during the last hearing of a trial for drug dealing, where the main accused requested to remain in prison and serve his sentence effectively, despite indications that he could regain his freedom.
This concerns Augusto Manuel Pacicco, a 39-year-old emergency medical technician, accused of mediating in the sale of small amounts of cocaine in the town of Embalse. Last Friday, at a key moment in the judicial process, he presented a handwritten letter in which he expressed his decision to not leave jail.
“I do not feel fit to reintegrate into society,” he stated in the document, generating surprise among the judges and the parties involved.
The accused
According to the evidence presented during the trial, the Federal Prosecutor's Office No. 1 of Córdoba, led by Maximiliano Hairabedian, argued that Pacicco acted as an intermediary between consumers and sellers.
According to the accusation, he directed buyers to whom to approach or informed sellers about potential clients, receiving small amounts of drugs as payment, which he quickly consumed due to his addiction.
During the hearing on June 5, the accused himself described his personal situation and his consumption history: “I consumed cocaine uncontrollably. I have been using since I was 19. Since I lost my family, I fell into drugs. I lost my mom, my dad, and my brother.”
The deterioration caused by consumption had profound consequences in his life. Pacicco lost his job and ended up homeless before being arrested in April 2025.
The letter from the accused
In the final phase of the trial, the prosecutor requested a sentence of two years in prison considering him a secondary participant in the crime. For its part, the defense, led by attorney Rodrigo Altamira, sought a suspended sentence, which would have allowed him to regain his freedom. Even the assistant prosecutor Maximiliano Aramayo did not oppose this possibility.
The legal scenario favored this outcome. Since he had no prior convictions and the sentence was less than three years, the Penal Code allowed for a conditional execution of the sentence. However, the decision of the accused himself altered the expected course.
In his letter, Pacicco elaborated on the reasons for his request: “I want to undergo the necessary psychological and psychiatric treatment so that, at the end of the sentence, I can leave without the torment of having to go and sign every month […] First, because I know I will not meet those requirements, and second, I know I will be wanted for not complying with the regulations […] Leaving and not owing even a day seems appropriate to me.”
Despite his lawyer's attempts to change his mind, warning him about the risks of remaining in prison and offering to arrange temporary housing, the accused maintained his position. Without a job or a place to live, he insisted that he did not want to make mistakes again.
At the time of giving his last word before the court, he reaffirmed his decision. Finally, the judges sentenced him to two years of effective imprisonment.
The case began under the investigation of provincial prosecutor Luis Pizarro and later moved to the federal level after the intervention of the National Gendarmerie, which allowed progress on the structure of the substance supply.
