EXTORTION OF A BUSINESSMAN IN PALERMO, FOUR ARRESTS
The Carabinieri of Palermo have arrested four men accused, to varying degrees, of extortion aggravated by mafia methods against an entrepreneur and possession of weapons.
Among those arrested is Salvatore “Sal” Catalano, 83, boss of the Pizza Connection , dating back to the 1980s when the mafia exported billions of dollars in heroin from Palermo to the United States using a network of Italian pizzerias and restaurants. Also in prison with him were Filippo Cimilluca, 48, from Ciminna, Vito Pampinella, 64, from Caccamo, and Antonio Baucina, 33, from Zen, a Palermo native who is charged with possession of weapons .
In 2021, Cimilluca allegedly imposed a sort of company on an entrepreneur. After offering him financial support, he allegedly asked for money in installments: 500 euros per month “for life”. The entrepreneur allegedly paid and in 2023 said he had already paid off the debt. The man had decided to sell and was asked for a severance payment of 30 thousand euros. After his outright refusal, a series of threats began .
Thanks to wiretaps, the raid was triggered when Cimalluca referred to the purchase of kilos of gunpowder to “ blow up the house .” Catalano served a 25-year sentence in the United States. In 2016, he returned to Ciminna, in the province of Palermo, after being expelled from the United States . Now he has ended up in prison again. No house arrest despite his advanced age.
