https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...bile-omicidio-e-lombra-della-ndrangheta/investigation into the disappearance
San Luca and the “mystery” of Antonio Strangio: the possible murder and the shadow of the 'ndrangheta
The 42-year-old is the son of Giuseppe Strangio, one of the protagonists of the “excellent” kidnappings on the Aspromonte from De Feo to Casella, linked to the “Barbaro” branch
Published: 21/11/2024 – 19:03
SAN LUCA An impassable wall of silence , a very strict secrecy. For days San Luca has sunk into a surreal silence, bringing back memories of distant times, recalled like ghosts. The news of the sudden disappearance of Antonio Strangio, in fact, has been fueling terrible suspicions for days that no one wants to say, at the moment. Including investigators and law enforcement. What “broke” the balance were a series of posters that appeared in and around San Luca, with the following written on them: «The Strangio and Scalia families thank the entire population but waive visits». An emblematic phrase that was chosen, in all likelihood, by those directly involved and which encapsulates the drama of a case that is yet to be revealed.
san luca massacre poster
The Mystery of Saint Luke
A terrible mystery still surrounds the disappearance of Antonio Strangio and the investigations of the Bianco Carabinieri Company under the coordination of the Locri Prosecutor's Office. While on the one hand the goal is to shed light on what happened, on the other the scenarios appear anything but optimistic. For a few days now there has been no news and the discovery of the off-road vehicle set on fire with the remains of what could be - perhaps - the carcass of an unspecified animal, have exponentially raised the level of attention. If Antonio Strangio had been killed, disturbing scenarios would open up and the risk of sinking into a possible "'ndrangheta war" would not be so remote. Also because the name and the context are of the highest order.
Giuseppe Strangio and the season of kidnappings
The 42-year-old Antonio Strangio, in fact, is the son of the more well-known Giuseppe Strangio (born in 1954) . A sort of “key figure” of the local ‘ndrangheta and beyond. Already sentenced in 1974 to 14 years for a murder committed on February 2, 1970, he has a series of convictions – definitive – linked to some “excellent” kidnappings: Giovanni Piazzalunga, Carlo De Feo and Cesare Casella. The engineer Carlo De Feo, a Neapolitan industrialist, was kidnapped in Casavatore at the beginning of 1983 and freed, after more than a year of captivity, in the countryside of Oppido Mamertina. At the time, the men of the Reggio Calabria Flying Squad had managed to arrest fifteen people from what they still considered an “emerging gang” while six other people, including a prominent name like Sebastiano Pelle, had managed to avoid capture. The investigators concentrated their inquiries in the mafia triangle San Luca-Natile-Platì, in whose territories five hideouts had in the meantime been located where the industrialist had been held prisoner.
(RAI archive image)
The Casella Kidnapping
Much more important was the kidnapping of Cesare Casella, which took place in Pavia on 18 January 1988 and which also hit the headlines internationally. The courageous mother became “historic” in spite of herself when, a year later, she decided to go down to Calabria and stage a sensational protest in the square in Locri. She then went to San Luca, reached Ciminà with chains around her neck, prayed in front of the “crucifix of the kidnapped” in the Zervò district (between Platì and Santa Cristina d'Aspromonte) and, finally, also visited the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Polsi. Casella's kidnapping – which lasted 743 days – is the second longest after that of Carlo Celadon (831 days). The first turning point came at Christmas 1989 when the GIS showed up at the agreed meeting point for the delivery of the ransom and, after a firefight, captured Giuseppe Strangio while he was a fugitive. The man, in fact, had escaped from the Lecce District Prison, while he was serving a 27-year prison sentence for the De Feo kidnapping. It was Strangio himself who made an appeal to the kidnappers, with his release taking place in January 1990.
Strangio “Barbarian”
But that's not all. Investigations over the last few decades have allowed Giuseppe Strangio to be framed within the powerful 'ndrangheta family of the Versacis and the Strangio "Barbaros", dedicated to brutal kidnappings that brought the activity of organized crime in lower Ionian Calabria to the attention of international public opinion and allowed the acquisition of huge profits subsequently invested in international drug dealing.
The investigations
In the meantime, the RIS of Messina, according to unofficial sources, are carrying out the necessary tests on the remains of what has so far been indicated as an animal carcass, found on board the car destroyed by flames between Bovalino and Bianco. No lead can or should be excluded at the moment. Not even one that could lead to a terrible mafia-style murder. (g.curcio@corrierecal.it)
