https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/an...heta-ritratto-del-nuovo-pentito-x9q3ft8j

Andrea Guarnieri, the right-hand man of the boss who carried the 'ndrangheta's embassies: portrait of the new pentito

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...nieri-ai-pm-vi-racconto-quattro-omicidi/

the minutes
'Ndrangheta, Guarnieri's first statements to the prosecutors. "I'll tell you about four murders"
Interrogation for the former member of the Catarisano gang that nails the other informer, Ielapi, but also the alleged leaders of the homonymous gang of Roccelletta di Borgia
Published: 04/17/2025 – 13:43

LAMEZIA TERME "I am aware of four murders in which I participated" . It is March 6, 2025. With this first statement made to the prosecutors of the Catanzaro Prosecutor's Office, Andrea Guarnieri (class of '94) has decided to take the plunge and begin the process of collaboration with justice, appointing Annalisa Pisano of the Catanzaro Bar as his lawyer. The news was made public during the last hearing of the bis "Jonny" trial, shortly before the sentence, with the prosecutor who requested the renewal of the trial investigation for the acquisition of the statements made, with the hearing postponed to next May 5.

The first stories
"I was a member of the Roccelletta 'ndrangheta association, of which I know the roles of the associates. I know of some extortion of drug dealing and weapons", he continued. Andrea Guarnieri, as emerged from the same "Jonny" investigation, is considered one of the participants of the Catarisano 'ndrangheta gang, with its epicenter in the territory of Roccelletta di Borgia, under the influence of the Cutro and Isola Capo Rizzuto 'ndrangheta locals. He would also have "facilitated the criminal program of the group", ensuring his logistical and functional support to the leaders of the gang "Francesco Gualtieri and Salvatore Abbruzzo, also in relations with other mafia organizations", channeling "the "embassies" between the associates and guaranteeing a widespread control of the territory of the gang".

The stories of four murders
Guarnieri told what he knows about four murders that, at this stage, have been omitted but he nails Sandro Ielapi , who has been collaborating with justice since last summer (HERE THE NEWS) but also Salvatore Abbruzzo and Massimo Citraro . Regarding the first, «I didn't know the victim» explains the 31-year-old, «One afternoon I was at Camping Cammello Grigio, where I worked illegally, and here was Salvatore Abbruzzo who told me that I had to go somewhere that afternoon. When I asked "where I had to go" he looked at me rudely, annoyed because I shouldn't have asked him that question...». Guarnieri says that, later, he came to pick him up « Pietro Abbruzzo who took me to Girifalco to Sandro Ielapi who I met on that occasion, was already armed with a machine gun (...) we stole the scooter in front of a tobacconist in Soverato while Vincenzo Tolone was supposed to give us the order». And again: «At his signal, Lelapi and I started moving… I stopped as soon as Lelapi told me and he got off the bike and immediately after I heard shooting». «Afterwards, near a petrol station or near a supermarket he made me stop and there Lelapi got off. At a roundabout there was a small road and here I saw Massimo Citraro who was waiting for me and here he burned the bike…». «Catarisano told me not to tell anyone about what had been done otherwise they would kill me and that I had to do as they told me».

The second murder in 2013
Guarnieri then told the prosecutors the details of a second murder. «(…) I remember it was me and Lelapi, we were waiting on a piece of land for Vincenzo Tolone's signal and while waiting, Lelapi almost shot himself, in the foot because a shot went off… then Tolone gave us the signal by honking his horn because (…) he was going to an arcade or club… Ielapi came in and I heard the gunshots . Once he came back we ran away taking the road that passed by a petrol station. Lelapi signaled me to keep away from the petrol station cameras in the other lane and we entered a dirt road…». These two murders, according to Guarnieri, occurred in 2013 within a few months of each other, «I was 19 years old». He then told the prosecutors the details of a third murder. In this case too, the group allegedly stole a motorbike, then loaded it onto a Doblò «and took it to Pietro Abbruzzo's house». «(…) I was waiting with the motorbike off the road where there is a destroyed and abandoned farmhouse» . Then the details of the ambush. «Pietro Abbruzzo and Lelapi were in the car to check the arrival of the victim, they saw him, they gave me a call on a dedicated phone, I left with the motorbike. Then I picked up Lelapi and we went…» . Guarnieri says that the victim «started to run away», so «Lelapi reached him and shot him, but I didn't see the scene. Once I got back on the motorbike we ran away».

The fourth murder
In the case of the fourth murder, however, the vehicle used would have been a Panda stolen in Montepaone. «After the theft, perhaps the next day, the car was cleaned of fingerprints». The murder of (…) was supposed to be done by others, Lelapi and Tolone, but in the end Salvatore Abbruzzo got annoyed by the waste of time because he was being put off, and he sent me and (…). We waited at a petrol station in Germaneto, then we waited and we saw his car at the petrol station and we went back». Here Guarnieri's associate would have shot the victim and then both escaped on board the Panda. «Pietro Abbruzzo and Massimo Citraro were waiting for us, who had brought some liquid, I think petrol, and set fire to the car where the thrown gun was inside». ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...-responsabilita-di-graviano-e-filippone/

the reasons
'Ndrangheta massacre: the «short circuit» and the «irreconcilable contradictions» on the responsibilities of Graviano and Filippone
According to the Panel, the alleged role of instigators attributed to the two defendants "is not adequately demonstrated".
Published: 04/17/2025 – 10:14

LAMEZIA TERME For the Court of Cassation it is necessary to resolve the issue of the "concrete reliability or otherwise of the conflicting evidence" and, furthermore, evaluate the evidence against the defendants "for having contributed to the murder order, also possibly by exercising investigative powers", with full freedom of judgment. This is one of the crucial aspects of the Court's decision on the sentence regarding Giuseppe Graviano, boss of Brancaccio and Rocco Santo Filippone, believed to belong to the Piromalli gang of Gioia Tauro , defendants in the "Ndrangheta Stragista" trial . Last December 16, the Court of Cassation had ordered the annulment with referral of the sentence for the double homicide of the Carabinieri Antonino Fava and Vincenzo Garofalo, killed in an ambush on January 18, 1994 along the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway, in Scilla, and for the attacks at the end of 1993, against two other patrols of the force.

The massacre strategy
The one charged to the Brancaccio boss and the member of the Piromalli clan is an ambush that falls within the so-called "continental massacres" that bloodied Italy in the early nineties. In the reasons for the sentence of the Court of Assizes of Appeal of Reggio Calabria, the judges, sharing the accusatory system supported by the public prosecutors Giuseppe Lombardo and Walter Ignazitto, had underlined the existence of "proven connections that over the years have unraveled between criminal organizations and Masonic and political environments"

broad bean and clove
The "short circuit" in the "central trials"
In the reasons released in these hours, the ermines of the Sixth Criminal Section (Pierluigi Di Stefano president) instead place the emphasis on what they do not hesitate to define as a "short circuit" that specifically concerns the "central evidence" to demonstrate "the responsibility of the defendants", starting with participation in organizational meetings. If for the Reggio judges the evidentiary structure was based on the converging statements of various collaborators of justice and in the multiple judicial investigations, now final, regarding both the structures of the Reggio 'ndrangheta in the 1990s and the role played by the defendant Graviano within the Cosa Nostra massacre strategy of the 1990s , for the Court of Cassation the reconstruction clashes "in ascertaining the moral complicity of Graviano and Filippone" in the murder of the two carabinieri.

The massacre strategy
The Court of Cassation recognizes the logic in the reconstruction of the facts reconstructed by the judges of Reggio and, above all, the relationships and shared interests between the two criminal organizations in the time frame of the ambushes and the meetings between Sicilian and Calabrian exponents on the Calabrian territory, with which the 'ndrangheta decided to adhere to the "strategy of massacres" of Cosa Nostra, through "the commission of crimes also on the territory of relevance", falling within the implementation of the "strategy of terror" with the intent of inducing the State to negotiate on the issue of penitentiary benefits and on the discipline of "repentants".


«Obvious and irreconcilable contradictions»
According to the Panel, however, the alleged role of instigators attributed to the two defendants "is not adequately demonstrated" because the statements of the collaborators of justice, valued by the judges of Reggio, are "characterized by evident and, at present, irreconcilable contradictions resulting from the text of the sentence that the District Court has not clarified in any way", despite the specific defense complaints proposed during the appeal. One of the collaborators, for example, stated that he had learned de relato the news regarding the meetings, the reason for the meetings and the subjects who would have taken part in them in addition to the mandate given to Rocco Santo Filippone "to identify the perpetrators of the attacks". The collaborator, however, despite having indicated the only source of his knowledge, later corrected this version in the appeal hearing, indicating as the primary source of the information «the father of Consolato Villani», a character of 'ndrangheta importance since the 70s and in the past close to the Latella gang, and confirmed that the same information had also been given to him by another individual who offers a different version and, above all, not compatible with that of the first collaborator. For the Cassation, therefore, «both say they learned the information in question from the other» without there having been an «effective response from the District Court».
It will be up to another Court of Assizes of Appeal of Reggio Calabria to decide the fate of the two defendants and therefore evaluate whether the evidentiary platform is able to demonstrate the responsibility of the defendants for the murder order beyond any reasonable doubt. ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )

Gioia Tauro, a cocaine laboratory discovered in a farmhouse: 100 kilos of drugs seized

A farmhouse transformed into a refinery . The Carabinieri of the Gioia Tauro Company discovered it during an operation conducted in the municipality of Rizziconi, in the heart of the Piana di Gioia Tauro. Inside, the military seized over 100 kilos of pure cocaine , divided into blocks and hidden in a cavity created in the attic.

According to initial estimates, the seized cocaine, once cut and distributed on the market, could have generated over three million euros, fueling a drug trafficking chain with potentially international ramifications.

Inside the same farmhouse, a perfectly equipped chemical laboratory was identified , with precision instruments, chemical compounds, high-temperature ovens, protective suits, masks and everything necessary for the processing and refining of raw cocaine. A setup defined as " highly professional " which confirms that the building was not only intended for the storage of drugs, but represented "a nerve center" for the transformation and packaging of the substance, ready to supply large-scale drug dealing networks. The refinery was built in a secluded agricultural area but strategically close to important communication routes which demonstrates "once again the ability of criminal organizations to camouflage illicit activities in rural and apparently anonymous contexts".

https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2...na_casolare_gioia_tauro_droga-424137366/

The Port of Gioia Tauro is a large seaport in southern Italy. It is the largest port in Italy for container throughput, the 9th largest in Europe and the 6th largest in Mediterranean sea.

A report on mafia influence in Gioia Tauro prepared for the European Commission in 2012 concluded that the “internationalisation of ‘Ndrangheta activity in the 1990s went in parallel with the construction of Gioia Tauro”. It said organised crime had “enjoyed a bonanza” as a result of the port operations, in which “the entire gamut of internal or subcontracted activities is mafia influenced, from the management of distribution and forwarding to customs control and container storage”. During one trial, it was found that 35 percent of businesses operating at the port had links to mafia.

The gangsters not only funded part of the building of the port, companies controlled by them were involved in its construction and its operation.

As soon as the port opened for business in 1995, the most powerful local ‘Ndrangheta clans in the area, the Piromalli-Molé family in Gioia Tauro and the Pesce family in Rosarno, had started to wet their beaks by demanding a security tax of $1.50 from the port’s operators for every container.

The report said the port is increasingly being used as a waypoint for the trafficking of cocaine and other drugs onwards to ports in the Balkans, the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea, with a rising number of cocaine seized on its way from Gioia Tauro to Turkey, a country where gangs are increasingly involved in trafficking the stimulant drug.

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...lla-ndrangheta-e-trafficanti-brasiliani/

nternational crimes
Messages between a 'Ndrangheta broker and Brazilian traffickers
The episode in Antonio Nicaso's report “The Hybrid Organized Crime Challenge”
Published: 20/04/2025 – 12:16

ROME Brazil and Italy expand cooperation against cybercrime and illegal use of AI and cryptocurrencies. The event in Rio de Janeiro will discuss the fight against hybrid organized crime that already operates with metaverse, bitcoin and artificial intelligence. Technological progress has been a powerful ally of organized crime, which now moves between the real and digital world with the use of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies and even metaverse. To discuss strategies for combating and international cooperation, experts from Brazil and Italy are meeting on April 22 and 24 in Rio de Janeiro during the 12th International Week of the Magna Grecia Foundation. The meeting will bring together representatives of public and private institutions that act in security, defense, finance and cyber intelligence. The proposal is to expand exchanges between the two countries in the fight against crimes such as drug trafficking, financial fraud and money laundering. One of the highlights will be the presentation of the study “The Hybrid Organized Crime Challenge”, conducted by Antonio Nicaso, director of the Cybercrime Research Center of the Magna Grecia Foundation. The report reveals how criminal groups are recruiting people digitally and operating with payments in bitcoin and other virtual currencies.

International criminal networks
According to Nicaso, Brazil and Italy are among the countries most affected by international criminal networks. He says that Italy has developed advanced technological solutions that can be adapted to the Brazilian reality. “It is a growing challenge and to address it we need technical cooperation, investment in technology and the strengthening of professionals in both countries,” he says. Confirmed participants include Trifone Altieri, director of the Leonardo company — which develops cybersecurity systems — and Michele Carbone, head of the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate (DIA), responsible for dialogue with Brazilian authorities in agreements against international trafficking.” Also participating in the event will be Aristides Andrade Cavalcante Neto of the Central Bank and Antenor Madruga of Febraban, who will provide a Brazilian perspective on financial fraud linked to the digital environment . Nicaso’s study cites a landmark case from 2018 in which Italian police intercepted messages between a broker linked to the ‘Ndrangheta mafia and Brazilian traffickers . The content of the conversations indicated Brazilians’ resistance to accepting payment in bitcoin, which shows the beginning of the transition to digital crimes, which is now much more advanced. According to Nicaso, “criminality is already digitally sophisticated. If countries do not evolve together in intelligence and prevention, we will always remain one step behind."

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/nd...ttima-di-lupara-bianca-nel-2011-ikxoc95c

'Ndrangheta in Reggio Calabria: the alleged instigator of the murder of Puntorieri, victim of a lupara bianca in 2011, acquitted

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...micidio-latorre-sospettati-due-fratelli/

the investigation
'Ndrangheta in Australia, the (possible) turning point in the Latorre murder: two brothers suspected
Possible attempt to “infiltrate” business and a furious fight during “Tomato Sauce Day”. More than a year after the attack, Victoria Police continue to investigate
Published: 22/04/2025 – 6:59

LAMEZIA TERME A suspected 'ndrangheta war and a motive that is currently difficult to prove. A little over a year later, investigations in Australia are trying to dispel the shadows and return the person (or persons) responsible for the brutal murder of John Peter Latorre, a 64-year-old greengrocer , killed on March 12, 2024 by gunfire near the garage of his home in Buchanan Place, Greenvale. Not just any target: according to Victoria Police, in fact, Latorre, whose family has origins in Oppido, was "an influential member of the 'ndrangheta". A name that has been recurring for over twenty years, although investigators have never been able to fully outline his hierarchical position.


The Suspected Brothers
The Victoria Police investigation is reportedly close to a breakthrough, but it is still too early to draw any conclusions. Latorre was reportedly killed in his driveway a few weeks after a heated confrontation with two men during a “family reunion”. As reported by the local press, in fact, the greengrocer originally from Oppido “asked his family to stop any involvement with the men who were part of his extended family”. At this point, suspicions would have fallen on two brothers, sons of a Calabrian farmer killed in 2011. Latorre – according to the first details that have emerged – would have argued with them because of his fruit and vegetable wholesale business. A furious argument that would have finally exploded during the traditional “Tomato Sauce Day” or “Passata Day” . At the sight of the two, the actor “would have been overcome with anger, shouting insults at them”, reports the Australian press.

The attempt to “infiltrate”
But that's not all. According to leaks, in fact, the two Calabrian brothers attempted to "infiltrate" Latorre's business, but received a negative response. This, therefore, could be a first piece in the reconstruction of a complex puzzle. After more than a year, the Victoria Police are continuing to investigate and understand whether the armed man, or men, used a motorbike, or perhaps a scooter, to escape the crime scene. Latorre's family told the "Sunday Herald Sun" that they were " shocked by the portrayal of him as a "bad boy", asking that the case be solved as soon as possible for our sake and for his sake". The reputation of the Calabrian brothers, on the other hand, is terrible. "When they came here they had every opportunity" a woman told the Australian newspaper, "John was very generous with them".

the porchetta ndrangheta melbourne
The Murder, the Fires and Oppido
Latorre, as mentioned, is not just any name in those parts of Australia. The entrepreneur is said to have been part of a small group of entrepreneurs linked to the Calabrian clans who, at the beginning of 2000, donated thousands of dollars to the “Liberal Party” to help Francesco “Frank Mad” Madaffari obtain a visa : at the time, there was an expulsion order hanging over his head, which was cancelled right after the “Millenium Forum” event. Hence the operation linked to the importation, into Australia, of the largest load of synthetic drugs ever. Just a year ago, moreover, in the northwest of Melbourne two clubs went up in flames in just a few hours: “La Porchetta” and “Negroni 888”. Two disturbing episodes because it is very unlikely that it is a coincidence if, in the space of a few minutes on the same night, two businesses run by Italian families and, specifically, of Calabrian origins, go up in flames. The trail that investigators are following – silently – is the one that leads straight to the interests of the 'ndrangheta, on which in Australia – where it is also known as the “Honoured Society” – suspicions and doubts have been wasted for decades, but also investigations and some murders that, from time to time, have turned the spotlight back on the shadowy activities of the families linked to the Calabrian 'ndrine. (g.curcio@corrierecal.it)

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...miliardario-che-fa-gola-alla-ndrangheta/

Gambling addiction and mafia interests
Gaming and gambling, the billion-dollar business that the 'ndrangheta is craving
Alarming numbers and growing spending trends in the sector. The interests of crime and the fight against gambling addiction in Calabria
Published: 2025-04-23 – 10:51

LAMEZIA TERME A sector worth around 4 billion euros in Calabria alone. The blatant cynicism of those who exploit a real gambling disease, ruining people and entire families for the sake of pure profit. The latest data paints an alarming picture: a per capita collection among Calabrians of around 2,800 euros per person, a growing trend with the increase in money spent in 2023 and an activity of contrast and awareness that does not yet seem to be sufficient. Added to all this is the illicit business, in the hands of the mafias that hold the monopoly, which in Italy reaches up to 37 billion euros. A fertile ground especially for the 'ndrangheta between illegal circuits, clandestine betting and the network of slot machines.

The 'Ndrangheta in the gambling business
The Black Monkey investigation, coordinated by the Bologna DDA, revealed the tentacles of the Calabrian criminal world in “gambling” and revealed a complex system that included “rigged” cards and an online game that eluded legal controls. The group, which the Court of Cassation nevertheless defined as non-mafia, was headed by Calabrian Nicola Femia, sentenced to 16 years, who according to the investigations had ties to the 'ndrangheta. The Gambling nel Reggio investigation also shed light on the interests of organized crime, in addition to the Johnny, Tisifone and Glicine Akeronte operations conducted against the Crotone 'ndrine. Among the most active in the sector is the Megna di Papanice gang, which is said to have gone so far as to share the illicit gambling market with the Arenas. A modus operandi similar to that which the 'ndrangheta uses in the rest of Italy, where the Camorra is strongly present in the sector: no war, but agreements and "contracts" of division to protect mutual interests. The huge flow of money around online gambling also emerges from the most recent Folgore Blizzard investigation, which reconstructed the interests of Luigi Masciari, considered the reference man for the 'ndrangheta in the North, in the sector that could bring in " 300-400 thousand euros a month ".

Money laundering and profit
A fruitful tool not only as a source of income, but also as a “laundering machine” of dirty money, useful for the 'ndrangheta laundering of illicit capital. Both through “physical” gambling with slot machines, rigged or illegal, imposed on the premises, on the other hand online gambling on illicit sites. The latter is constantly growing with the evolution of technology, with the 'ndrangheta already branched out into the dark web and expanding with cryptocurrencies. Victims, first and foremost, are those who have gotten lost in the spiral of gambling : but if on the one hand the data on gambling addiction in Calabria are growing, on the other hand the measures for contrast and prevention are still weak. A “vulnus” that the Region is trying to remedy: in recent years, over 4.5 million euros have been invested to combat pathological gambling, therapeutic services have been established and the synergy with the SerD, the Addiction Services promoted by the ASPs, has been further developed. In a few days – as stated in March by the president of the Third Commission Pasqualina Straface – further funds should be requested from the Region to the Ministry of Health to combat gambling addiction. But there are still few who, independently, ask for help: in the Vibo Valentia area, among the provinces where the most is spent on gambling, only 1 person is in charge of addiction at the Addiction Services present in the ASP out of a catchment area of ??approximately 150 thousand euros. ( ma.ru. )

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...ema-mafioso-lombardo-inizia-il-processo/

the hydra investigation
The 'ndrangheta in the Lombard mafia system: the trial begins
The Calabrian clans allegedly set up 18 premises in the Milanese hinterland. First hearing on May 21st
Published: 24/04/2025 – 18:40

MILAN Everything is ready for the opening of what has already been defined as the next maxi-trial against organized crime. In Milan, in fact, on May 21 (and then 23 other dates until July 25) the first preliminary hearing will take place against the defendants in the “Hydra” investigation of the Milan Anti-Mafia District. In the dock, waiting to know their immediate judicial future, 143 defendants, all presumed members of that “Lombard mafia system” that the Milan DDA is sure to have discovered and dismantled, winning, in fact, a long tug of war with the investigating judge and the Review Court. The “monster” proceeding on which the investigating judge Emanuele Mancini is called to decide, will be held in the bunker courtroom of the Opera prison.

The investigation
A major investigation that aims to shed light on a criminal system that, in order to conquer a very rich territory, would have joined forces, creating the "Lombardy Mafia System" , being able to rely on families with criminal experiences behind them certified by arrests and final sentences, also making use of the classic force of intimidation deriving from the associative bond and the condition of subjugation and silence in the territory of the cities of Milan, Varese and surrounding areas.

hydra-lunch-milan
'Ndrangheta, in Milan the clans of Cirò, San Luca and Melito Porto Salvo in the “Lombardy mafia system”: 146 investigated – NAMES
18 'ndrangheta locations in Milan
The Calabrian 'ndrangheta, active in Milan and the Milanese hinterland for years now, is said to have managed to set up 18 premises: Bollate, Bresso, Ganzo, Cormano, Carsico, Desio, Erba, Legnano-Lonate Pozzolo, Limbiate, Mariano Comense, Milan, Pavia, Pioltello, Seregno and Solaro. All coordinated by a body called "La Lombardia", in which Cosimo Barranca, until 15 August 2007, then Carmelo Novella, until his murder on 14 July 2008 and, finally, Pasquale Zappia, until his arrest, played a leading role over time. "La Lombardia", therefore, is to all intents and purposes a body charged with granting "positions" and "qualities" to its members, according to pre-established hierarchies, and authorizing the opening of new "premises" and establishing the new strategies of the mafia association.

Calabrian families in Milan
The “Hydra” investigation, therefore, would have shed light first of all on the Legnano-Lonate Pozzolo club, considered allied and in any case connected to the Farao-Marincola gang of Cirò , represented in Milan, according to the DDA, by Vincenzo Rispoli, Massimo Rosi, Giacomo Cristello, Francesco Bellusci and Pasquale Filomeno Toscano. And then the Iamonte gang, part of the Desio club, allied with the Melito Porto Salvo gang and, finally, Antonio Romeo, an expression in Milan of the Romeo “Staccu” family operating in the San Luca area, son of Filippo Romeo. The Milan Anti-Mafia would have documented a series of crimes committed by members of the “Lombardy Mafia System”, including robberies, fraud, money laundering, fictitious registrations, false invoicing for non-existent transactions, transfers of false tax credits and extortion. The crime of drug trafficking was also contested. In particular, according to the accusation, the association aimed at drug trafficking would include Gioacchino Amico, Giuseppe Castiglia, Giuseppe Fiore, Pietro Mazzotta, Sergio Sanseverino, Giuseppe Sorce – all members of the “Senese” group and Massimo Rosi, of the 'ndrangheta local of Legnano-Lonate Pozzolo. ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/al...milano-maxi-udienza-preliminare-xr5mluxe

Mafias in the North
Alliance between 'Ndrangheta, Cosa Nostra and Camorra: preliminary hearing in Milan

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...la-roma-criminale-che-non-vuole-padroni/

the interview
The 'ndrangheta in “Criminal Rome” that “does not want masters”
Giuseppe Scarpa's novel tells the story of the reality of the underworld in the Capital, where "two tons of cocaine are consumed every month"
Published: 25/04/2025 – 15:30

ROME The Eternal City crowns a new King, but Rome does not "want masters". In the Capital, cocaine trafficking is the core business of organized crime: pushers preside over the drug dealing areas, they look like crazy balls. Life goes by quickly, like the exchange of money in the shade of a café in the center, in the alleys of the suburbs, in the forgotten corners and in the hidden ones. Sandro Marinelli is the "Boia", the protagonist of " Roma Criminale " , the new book by Giuseppe Scarpa: a thoroughbred and investigative journalist, television author, reference signature of the judicial news of the daily newspaper La Repubblica .
"Rome is a particular city, it has neither the mafia, nor the camorra, nor the 'ndrangheta. It takes everything it can take." The confession collected by colleague Alberto Nerazzini is enlightening!
"Rome has everything inside, in the same way. Inside there are all the criminal organizations, not only Italian ones, but the European ones . There is the Albanian mafia and then the Camorra, 'Ndrangheta and Cosa Nostra. The Iranian mafia, specialized in the sale of shaboo, and the Nigerian mafia. And then, again, the local mafias, the Roman ones."

Money laundering has come under the scrutiny of the Roman Prosecutor's Office. What is the role of the 'ndrangheta in the "black bank"?
"Certainly, the 'ndrangheta is among the strongest mafias in Rome : it mainly manages drugs, they act as wholesalers, as large suppliers . In this, the 'ndrangheta is the most powerful, Cosa Nostra has a subordinate role. Just think of the large container ships that transport cocoa and sugar, departing from South America, arriving in Turkey and stopping off the Sicilian coast. And what happens there?! They throw significant quantities of cocaine or hashish into the sea, they attack the GPS and the men of Cosa Nostra take care of the recovery in a relationship of subordination with the 'ndrangheta ."

From Milan to Rome, is the axis between Cosa Nostra, Camorra and 'Ndrangheta ever stronger?
«The Hydra investigation is very interesting, it is fascinating to study and investigate the axis that unites Cosa Nostra-Camorra and 'Ndrangheta. In Rome, the Camorra appears to be a bit more quarrelsome than the 'Ndrangheta , which instead manages to be more effective».

In your novel, the Eternal City crowns a new King. But am I remembering wrong or does Rome not want masters?
"You are right, Rome does not want masters! The city does not accept the presence of an unchallenged leader, at most it "allows" a first among equals. Anyone who tries to sit on the throne of the city, trying to become the leader of the Roman crime, ends up dead. This is told in fictional form in my book, which is not inspired by real characters but by pure fantasy events. However, the story is linked to my work as a reporter at Repubblica and which over the years has allowed me to tell the bloody events related to the criminal galaxy that shakes Rome. Crime, in the Capital, has one goal: to be a seed in the sale of cocaine. Rome, says a collaborator of justice - among the most powerful drug traffickers - consumes two tons of cocaine a month . A city with its nose perpetually covered in flour". (f.benincasa@corrierecal.it)