On February 11, 2014 Valente and six other mob associates were arrested on charges of narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and firearms offenses based, in part, on their participation in a transnational heroin and cocaine trafficking conspiracy involving the ‘Ndrangheta, one of Italy’s most powerful organized crime syndicates. Among those arrested were reputed Bonanno associate Charles Centaro (Charlie Pepsi) and Gambino associate Franco Lupoi. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment on each firearms charge.