Marco Pantani in the spring of 1997.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Marco Pantani en route to victory at Plateau de Beille during the 1998 Tour de France.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Marco Pantani and Charly Gaul at the 2000 Giro d'Italia.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Marco Pantani at the 2001 Giro d'Italia.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Fabio Carlino, convicted for his part in supplying cocaine to Marco Pantani in the weeks leading up to his death, has had an appeal against his sentence rejected by a court in Bologna.
Pantani died in a hotel room in Rimini on 14 February 2004 as a result of an overdose of cocaine. The 1998 Tour de France and Giro d’Italia champion was 34 years old.
On 14 January 2008, Fabio Carlino was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for arranging the trafficking of drugs and for his role in Pantani’s death. He was also ordered to pay €150,000 in compensation to each of Pantani’s parents.
The 35-year-old Carlino’s appeal was rejected in Bologna on Wednesday. It is understood that Carlino first met Pantani in a nightclub in Milano Marittima in November or December 2003.
Two other men were previously convicted for their part in the supply of cocaine to Pantani. In October 2005, Fabio Miradossa was sentenced to 4 years and 10 months in prison, while Ciro Veneruso was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months.
Tuttobiciweb.it reports that the late Pantani's parents, Tonina and Ferdinando, were present at the hearing in Bologna and expressed their satisfaction with the outcome but said that many details of events during their son's final days remained unclear.
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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
