'Ndrangheta: Supreme Court annuls conviction of alleged boss Alvaro
AMDuemila 06 December 2024
The fifth section of the Court of Cassation has overturned without referral a 15-year prison sentence issued by the Court of Appeal of Reggio Calabria against the alleged boss of the 'Ndrangheta of Sinopoli, Cosimo Alvaro , 60 years old, known as 'u pelliccia'. The sentence came at the conclusion of the "Eyphemos" trial against 65 people, originally from Sinopoli, Sant'Eufemia d'Aspromonte and Reggio Calabria, accused, to varying degrees, of association and external aiding in mafia association, political-mafia vote trading, money laundering. Cosimo Alvaro , considered a leading figure in the homonymous Sinopoli 'Ndrangheta clan, whose tentacles have also developed in northern Italy, was released from prison last night after a period of four years of detention. Alvaro was defended in the Court of Cassation by the lawyer Natale Polimeni , of the Reggio Calabria Bar.

https://www.ilgiorno.it/brescia/cronaca/francesco-tripodi-arrestato-legami-tra-0a2c4f0d

Francesco Tripodi arrested: links between 'ndrangheta clan and politics in Brescia

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/tu...in-officina-la-base-della-cosca-mwaip4d9

«All the clans from Calabria and Lombardy come here», the Tripodi climb from Aspromonte to Brescia: the clan base is in the workshop

Sinopoli the 'ndrine of Alvaro-Macrì-Violi.

Paolo Violi's father Domenico Violi was the head of the Violi in Sinopoli.

Confusing reports about the criminal role of Antonio Strangio.

There is more to this mysterious disappearance: the animal found burned inside Antonio Strangio's car could have a meaning in the 'ndrangheta symbolism. In the meantime, it is the first time that a similar circumstance has been found in San Luca. The car set on fire with an animal inside could be a clue for those who are investigating. An orientation towards hypotheses not strictly criminal but, linked to sentimental matters.

The figure of Antonio Strangio is, however, one of those who are said to be of "weight" in the criminal panorama of San Luca and beyond. He served years in prison for drug trafficking.

Antonio Strangio is also related to the Mammoliti family, known as "Fischiante", from San Luca, involved in numerous investigations into international cocaine trafficking.

The criminal reputation of the Strangios is worrying the police, who are busy stifling any possible reaction from the family after the disappearance of Antonio Strangio.

The family members have posted a poster on the walls of San Luca that is not a death notice but that reads as follows: "The Strangio and Scalia families thank the entire population but, dispense with visits". As if to say: we are not certain that our relative is dead but, at the same time, we do not want people to come to the house to understand what is happening to us. The investigators, however, explain this "strange" poster as a signal. The family wants to avoid their "enemies" showing up at the house to eavesdrop on possible reprisals.

he has criminal records for drug trafficking but not for mafia-type association, anyway being from San Luca and son of a boss sure he's linked with the Ndrangheta

Organized crime expert Antonio Nicaso expects answers to Strangio’s death soon.

https://torontosun.com/news/world/mob-war-bloodbath-feared-in-mafia-heartland-after-scions-murder

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/la...a-di-tripodi-capoclan-a-brescia-at4sdocl

The first gun at 12 and the dream of earning money as a killer: the life of the 'ndrangheta of Tripodi, clan leader in Brescia

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/nd...accusati-della-strage-di-ariola-mu9flzdo

'Ndrangheta, the Court of Cassation confirms the seriousness of the circumstantial evidence for the Maiolos accused of the Ariola massacre

https://www.lacnews24.it/economia-e...-del-business-non-e-in-calabria-bo93te4y

The 'ndrangheta has eaten up tourism: business worth 1.6 billion euros and the heart of the business is not in Calabria

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/co...5-uomini-legati-alla-ndrangheta-us2hitx0

Cocaine from South America, 23 arrests between Italy and Brazil: among them 5 men linked to the 'ndrangheta

NOS News
•
yesterday, 21:44
'The Italian mafia earns 3.3 billion a year from tourism'

Tourism not only brings in money for the Italian government and its citizens, the Italian mafia also earns around 3.3 billion euros a year from the legal tourism industry, according to a new report from the Italian research agency Demoskopika.

Demoskopika president Raffaele Rio says in the report that Italian tourism is being infiltrated by organized crime. "More than 7,000 vulnerable businesses are at risk of falling prey to criminal organizations," Rio said.

The report was reviewed by the Italian news agency ANSA before publication . The report compiles various official figures from government agencies, including figures from the national statistics office Istat and the Bank of Italy.

Billions in revenue
The world's most powerful criminal organization, the ' ndrangheta , earns the most from the industry, according to figures from the Bank of Italy. The mafia clan operates in the mountainous region of Calabria in southern Italy and earns 1.65 billion euros annually from tourism.

The Camorra, a criminal secret organisation active in Naples, comes in second with earnings of 950 million euros per year, while the Sicilian mafia pockets around 400 million euros per year.

Tourist regions most likely to experience mafia involvement are Campania, Lombardy, Lazio, Puglia and Sicily.

Italy correspondent Heleen D'Haens
"Organised crime generates revenue in various ways and is active in almost all areas of the Italian economy where large amounts of money are involved. This also applies to the tourism sector, which accounts for around six percent of Italy's GDP. The influence of the mafia on tourism was already known, but is analysed in detail in this report.

Based on data from various government agencies, the researchers conclude that some 7,000 Italian companies are at risk of falling under the control of mafia organizations. These include companies with financial problems, which can borrow money from the mafia. In return, their company is used to launder money.

The risk of mafia interference appears to be greatest in the regions of Campania, where Naples is located, and in northern Italy's Lombardy."

According to the report, the mafia is infiltrating hospitality chains, such as hotels and restaurants. "The enormous vulnerability of entrepreneurs creates the ideal conditions for the mafia to take control," Rio said.

The president of the national statistics office international goes on to say that events such as the Winter Olympics (in 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo) could become targets of mafia infiltration.

https://nos.nl/artikel/2547854-de-italiaanse-maffia-verdient-jaarlijks-3-3-miljard-aan-toerisme

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...a-23-arresti-tra-italia-e-brasile-video/

Operation Samba
Drug trafficking from South America and links with the 'ndrangheta: 23 arrests between Italy and Brazil – VIDEO
Investigations by the Turin DDA linked to the Pasquino group. Five arrested are close to the Piedmontese premises
Published: 10/12/2024 – 16:32

TURIN Twenty-three arrests, 5 in Italy and 18 in Brazil , as part of a complex international investigation involving three criminal groups, distinct but connected, dedicated to drug trafficking on the Atlantic route. The investigations were conducted with the coordination of the Italian National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate. The work, which has developed in cooperation with the Brazilian authorities since 2019, and which led, at the time, to the arrests of Nicola and Patrick Assisi, has allowed us to identify important connections between the spheres of the Italian 'ndrangheta and the criminal organizations supplying narcotics operating in the South American country , capable of moving large quantities of drugs, particularly cocaine, towards Europe via the ports of Paranà.


The investigation
In particular, the Italian investigation, called “Operation Samba” , has allowed us to trace a large transnational criminal structure – which also includes the 5 people arrested, close to the local 'ndrangheta in Piedmont – that organized drug trafficking on the Brazil-Italy route, hiding the drugs on container ships headed to Italian and Northern European ports, for several tons of cocaine. The group also used the logistical structure made available by Brazilian crime in Paranà to move large quantities of money, which was then laundered.

operation samba turin 'ndrangheta
The Pasquino Group
The Turin investigation has also documented how the Turin criminal group, through former fugitive Vincenzo Pasquin o – arrested in Joao Pessoa on May 24, 2021 – had solid ties to a local criminal structure in the state of Paraiba . The Carabinieri are seizing several shops and properties in the province of Turin, believed to be in some way linked to the illicit proceeds, while the Brazilian federal police are executing 18 preventive arrest warrants in Brazil, one arrest warrant in Spain and 46 search and seizure warrants at addresses located in the Brazilian states of São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Roraima, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte and Parai'ba.

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...ve-avere-il-nulla-osta-della-ndrangheta/

the system
The labor racket in Calabria, the role of gangmasters and recruitment. «You must have the authorization of the 'ndrangheta»
In the busiest periods, the coming and going of minibuses driven by gangmasters. The threats to accept wages. To move, the "special permits"
Published: 10/12/2024 – 19:01

ROME Potential workers are often recruited outside reception centers, crammed onto buses and taken to the fields to work full days at starvation wages. In Calabria, the highest concentration of agricultural workers is on the three plains: Sibari, Sant'Eufemia and Gioia Tauro . The task of carrying out all aspects relating to the management of employment relationships is delegated to the "caporali", and - as often emerges from investigations and testimonies - behind the system set up to exploit those who have no other choice to earn a living, there are criminal organizations. "All labor exploitation schemes must have the go-ahead from the 'ndrangheta". The evidence emerges from the testimonies collected in the Agromafia and gangmastering report by the Placido Rizzotto Observatory of Flai Cgi l, now in its seventh edition and presented in Rome at the Frentani Congress Center.
The recruitment
The study specifically examined the Crotone area where it is estimated that between 11,000 and 12,000 people are employed in a non-standard way (black or grey work). And precisely in Crotone, where the Cara di Sant'Anna in Isola di Capo Rizzuto is located – as described in the Report – there are episodes of recruitment of women and men who are transported to the workplace. « In many cases – we read in the document – ??recruitment, both by gangmasters and owners, takes place in CAS and other reception facilities . Every morning in front of the Cara di Sant'Anna, in the municipality of Isola di Capo Rizzuto, long lines of guests form waiting for the gangmasters to arrive for a daily contract. Those who do not manage to obtain it are forced to return to the center”. A phenomenon that has also been the subject of complaints to the Public Prosecutor's Office by the local Flai-Cgil. «In the context of small city centers, the recruitment methods recall the historic market square. Workers are picked up in the squares in the early hours of the morning by foreign gangmasters driving minibuses and taken to their companies. During periods of greatest work intensity, the Ionian coast is a coming and going of minibuses driven by gangmasters .

The role of the corporals
The “system” works thanks to the intermediation of the gangmasters who are entrusted with the task of managing all aspects of employment relationships: in many cases, companies do not communicate directly with workers, but it is the gangmasters who give orders and directives through the tool of WhatsApp groups. “The gangmasters always deliver the contracts and wages,” the Report explains, “which are usually divided into two parts. The first is transferred by the company via bank transfer to satisfy the payment traceability criteria and corresponds to the wages for the working days that are declared to INPS, while the second, which corresponds to the wages for the undeclared part of the work, is paid under the table, through the gangmaster, who usually withholds a portion in a fairly discretionary manner, also thanks to the blackmail power that comes from the ability to choose who to make work and who not.”
From the investigations conducted between 2018 and 2021 , which led to the arrest of 15 people, a central role of gangmasters emerges in forcing workers, also through the repeated use of threats, to accept wages between 15 and 30 euros for over 12 hours of work and to return part of the salary obtained by bank transfer . Gangmasters also instruct workers on how to behave in the event of checks to prevent them from providing law enforcement with elements that could prove the presence of exploitation and gangmaster practices.

The labor racket and the interests of the clans
The social and trade union actors of the territory agree that «the pervasive presence of organized crime also conditions the activities of the gangmasters, subjecting them to forms of control ». Dynamics that could be read as a «revival of the historical interest of the 'ndrangheta in the labor racket». «Calabria is, in fact, the territory of the South where the economic interest of the mafia in the business of recruiting and transporting agricultural laborers is first and most widespread. The documents of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the phenomenon of the «so-called gangmaster» reveal how since the Seventies the clans have assumed direct control , entrusting the role of gangmasters to very young affiliates or to disarmed bosses, or they exercise indirect control».

«All labor exploitation schemes must have the go-ahead from the 'ndrangheta»
"All the exploitation of labor must have the authorization from the 'ndrangheta", "it is not possible to let workers circulate freely, or rather organized crime does not allow it ... if for example workers from Corigliano want to come to the Marchesato Crotonese they need special permits (...) it is a form of respect for the square", say the interviewees. The expression "special permits" refers to the fact that criminal organizations demand payments . "In fact, this system, if on the one hand is functional to the mechanisms of control of the territory of the clans, also presented as a defense of the territory itself - defending the local square from gangmasters who come from other areas -, on the other hand it multiplies the speculative passages by reducing the share of wages that is paid to workers".

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...tessa-moneta-proprieta-della-ndrangheta/

the analysis
San Luca and Turin two sides of the same coin owned by the 'ndrangheta
Piedmontese Cgil invites workers to follow Calabria's rebellion. Antonio Strangio's murder has caused relatives to flee to the North
Published: 12/12/2024 – 6:28
by Paride Leporace

Two recent crime news questions: what happened on November 18th in San Luca? And on December 11th in Carmagnola on the outskirts of Turin?
Answering the first question is easy because if you need to know something about San Luca, the mother of the 'ndrangheta, you'll find everything channeled into the column of your cell phone. On November 18th, the off-road vehicle of the farmer Antonio Strangio was found destroyed by flames between Bovalino and Bianco. The man had been missing for several days. He is part of the Strangio "Barbari" relative of the Mammoliti. The father distinguished himself, so to speak, in the kidnapping season. He, Antonio, is not a big name. A conviction for drug trafficking according to the Corriere della Sera. Inside the charred car, bones were found. After several days, it was learned that the remains are human. Findings sent to Messina for compatibility with the missing Strangio. Investigators, insiders, journalists, we are all groping in the dark and trying to understand if a new absurd mafia war has broken out or if it is an “anomalous” elimination. What is certain is that relatives of the murdered man have withdrawn their children from the high schools in the area to have them emigrate to cities in Northern Italy. A very bad sign.
Answering the second question is less easy, but the two facts are linked by theme. On Wednesday morning in Carmagnola, in a room, Don Ciotti and Maurizio Landini met to discuss the presence of the 'ndrangheta in Piedmont. Giorgio Airaudo is a piece of history of the Turin left. He comes from the 1977 Movement, he led the Fgci at the time of Berlinguer, leader of the Fiom at the time of Marchionne, deputy of Sel, today he is the regional secretary of the Cgil in Piedmont. Someone who knows how to weigh his words. To introduce the event he said in recent days: «Piedmont is no different from Calabria, this is why we are convinced that a strong and choral reaction is needed against the rooting of the 'ndrangheta in our territory. The clans, taking advantage of the economic crisis that is hitting Piedmont, offer underpaid and rightsless jobs to people who need income and grant liquidity to companies in difficulty, causing entrepreneurs to fall into the vortex of blackmail typical of the mafia».
Different dynamics but under the same brand from San Luca to Turin. Or rather, Carmagnola. A place not chosen by chance as Airaudo explained “We decided to go to Carmagnola because that territory, that community, those citizens and their institutions are under attack and should not be left alone” and in fact the mayor Ivana Gaveglio also participated in the event, someone who has been mobilizing for a long time and testifying in court. We have dealt with Carmagnola in the recent pastin our investigation that mapped the presence of the 'ndrangheta in the North, finding that the phenomenon is worrying and widespread. In Italy, where a third of adults are functionally illiterate (OECD research), there is no perception of the problem of Carmagnola and Turin, unlike San Luca, which carries the stigma of visibility.
The CGIL did well to try to highlight the issue by stating: «The ongoing investigations all concern cases involving public contracts, major road works, others will come with respect to the PNRR – explains Federico Bellono, General Secretary of CGIL Turin – We are concerned about what happened, but also about what could happen. The leap in quality we have witnessed is the involvement of trade union representatives. The fact that they are not from the CGIL is not consoling, it gives the idea of ??a system that is weak and therefore more easily infiltrated».
The Cgil is asking for more attention from politics, and we are skeptical on this point, but the union is declaiming "that we need the same reaction here that the Calabrians had" and it is clear that positive signals from Calabria have arrived up North. Hundreds of kilometers separate Carmagnola from San Luca, Piedmont from Calabria. But the criminal network governs in a hidden manner under different mandates.
In the town of Corrado Alvaro, while the residents are mildly wondering what the death of Antonio Strangio means, an anomalous electoral campaign has begun.
In San Luca, for a change, an access commission is operating in the Town Hall, which arrived after the Anti-Mafia Commission that first took a souvenir photo under a town sign riddled with bullet holes because the institutions, it seems, also have functional illiteracy. No list presented itself at the last elections. The commissioners must decide by December 28 whether to dissolve the Town Hall for the umpteenth time in vain or whether to allow elections next spring. There are those from outside the country who want to spend.
On December 20th, a press conference will be held by the journalist Klaus Davi, who is not new to this type of undertaking and who has already announced to the country «I am the right person in the right place. Condemning San Luca and pardoning Reggio Calabria would be a terrible message. So I don't think it will happen. The municipality will not be dissolved and I will be the candidate for the rebirth of Locride», adding that he does not need escorts and will avoid any war. Words that have infuriated the professor of a private university in Reggio, Paolo Ferrara, a republican disciple of Nucara, and leader of the movement “Free to start again” and who is already a municipal councilor in Platì, who stated:"It is not a boast to say that you go to San Luca without an escort, because San Luca does not need a sheriff and not a showman." Perhaps it is better that Davi and Ferrara work together to give a municipal administration to San Luca and fight together to avoid the dissolution of the municipality. And perhaps collaborating with the mobilization of the Cgil in Piedmont, giving life to a new North-South season united in the fight against the 'ndrangheta.
In Turin, the Cgil can talk to the prosecutor Bombardieri who comes from Reggio Calabria and knows the phenomenon well in Calabria and the North.
San Luca and Carmagnola are two sides of the same coin. Tackling it together can find the right way to defeat the monster. (redazione@corrierecal.it)

https://www.genova24.it/2024/12/lal...artiscono-il-business-in-liguria-409569/

Follow the money
The DIA's alarm: "Here's how Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta and Camorra divide up the business in Liguria"
Great attention from the anti-mafia investigative directorate also on the major works and construction sites financed with the PNRR funds

Genoa . In Liguria, the three main mafia organizations exert their influence on well-defined sectors but “the glue of money can allow collaboration and cohabitation”. This is the alarm raised by Colonel Maurizio Panzironi, head of the Ligurian Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate, on the occasion of the presentation of the calendar with the theme “Follow the money”.

Ligurian investigators have noted that Cosa Nostra is involved in the logistics sector , the ' Ndrangheta in earthmoving , while the Camorra in catering . “But there are no closed divisions – explains Panzironi – there can be shared interests where there is business, where there is money”.

Attention is also paid to construction sites and major works financed with PNRR funds. In the entire district, which also includes Massa, in 2024 there were 21 accesses, of which 19 physical in construction sites and two of a documentary nature in the registered offices. Only 11 concerned the works in Genoa between Sestri Ponente, the La Superba road, the Bisagno floodgate and the Waterfront, in addition to the Dam.

"Given the amount of work but also of money - underlines Giacomo Tessore, head of the first procurement sector of the DIA - it was decided to examine in depth all the accounting and contractual documentation of the various companies. But it must be an effort that is prolonged over time because construction sites are realities that continually change. We have identified some critical issues that must be analyzed".

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...e-le-dichiarazioni-del-pentito-dei-mole/

the fact
'Ndrangheta, drugs in the port of Livorno and the statements of the Molè informer
The revelations of Errico D'Ambrosio, a collaborator of justice, were decisive for the advancement of the investigations in the DDA inquiry
Published: 12/12/2024 – 19:18

LAMEZIA TERME The investigation conducted by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate in recent weeks has revealed a complex international drug trafficking network that, starting from Colombia, arrived on the Italian coasts, with the port of Livorno as the main distribution point. The cocaine, coming from Ecuador and managed by an Albanian broker, was sent to Europe thanks to the collaboration of Italian criminal organizations, including the 'Ndrangheta, the Camorra and the Sacra Corona Unita .
The investigations, directed by prosecutors Luca Tescaroli and Leopoldo De Gregorio and conducted by the Guardia di Finanza of Pisa, led to the discovery of a sophisticated system, in which the trafficking was managed by Albanian drug traffickers who operated on an equal footing with the historic Italian mafias. These criminals were able to deal directly with the South American cartels for the purchase and transport of the drugs to Italian and European ports. The cocaine loads, hidden inside containers with fruit, were recovered thanks to advanced GPS systems, with the aim of evading the controls of the police.

The repentant
The statements of the repentant Errico D'Ambrosio, affiliated with the 'ndrangheta Molè gang , were decisive in advancing the investigations. D'Ambrosio, who in the past held the role of "Vangelo" within the Molè family, confirmed that he had participated in two cocaine recovery operations in the port of Livorno , revealing the financiers and accomplices involved. According to the repentant Ernesto Modafferi , known as "Tommy", a member of the Molè gang, the financiers included Mario Palamara (arrested in Spain in 2022) and a mysterious Albanian drug trafficker, known by the nickname "Porsche". The investigations would then also reveal the use of sophisticated encrypted communication devices , including Israeli cryptophones, for conversations between the bosses and the emissaries. These devices, purchased in Spain at a price of 5,000 euros each, were used to coordinate drug exfiltration operations.

The load to be recovered
A crucial episode for the Guardia di Finanza investigation was the attempt to recover a load of over 400 kilograms of cocaine lost in March 2022. D'Ambrosio and his Albanian accomplices, together with members of the Sacra Corona Unita, allegedly searched for the load also with night raids in warehouses in Livorno, where the containers with the goods were located. In one case, they then presented themselves as fake Carabinieri to search for the drugs in sorting warehouses, including one in Savignano sul Panaro, in the province of Modena. The load of cocaine, lost during shipping, was finally recovered in Frattamaggiore (Naples) by a company owner who had purchased some bananas. (f.veltri@corrierecal.it)

https://wesud.it/maxi-operazione-antidroga-smantellata-rete-legata-alla-ndrangheta/

Major anti-drug operation, network linked to 'ndrangheta dismantled

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...nia-terra-di-conquista-della-ndrangheta/

the nomination
The European Anti-Money Laundering Authority in Germany, the land of conquest of the 'Ndrangheta
An Italian woman leads the Frankfurt-based organization. The mafias in the land of the states collect "a billion euros a year"
Published: 12/13/2024 – 15:24

LAMEZIA TERME With Milanese origins and extensive experience at Bankitalia, Bruna Szego has been appointed head of anti-money laundering in Europe. The European Parliament has entrusted her with the task of leading the new AMLA , the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority based in Frankfurt, Germany.

Who is Bruna Szego?
The Bankitalia website features a substantial excerpt from Bruna Szego's robust CV. In 1989, she graduated with honors in Law from the Libera Università degli Studi Sociali in Rome, discussing a thesis on commercial criminal law. She is licensed to practice law. She joined the Bank of Italy in 1990, in the Supervision offices of the Central Administration, where she followed the national and European regulation of non-banking finance and collaborated in drafting the Consolidated Banking and Finance Acts.
Since 1999, she has carried out research and economic analysis of law at the Economic Law office with studies on corporate governance, civil justice, and finance for growth. She has been in the Supervision Area since 2007, and the following year she was appointed head of the Primary Regulatory Division of the Supervisory Policies and Regulatory Service; there, she deals – among other things – with the rules on corporate governance of banks, remuneration systems, and the protection of bank customers. He joined the Directorate of the Regulation and Macroprudential Analysis Service in 2014, where – among other things – he coordinated the work to implement the new European discipline on the management of banking crises. He became Deputy Head of the Service in 2016 and, in 2017, Head of the Regulation and Macroprudential Analysis Service. Since 14 June 2022 he has been Head of the Unit, reporting directly to the Board of Directors, responsible for Regulation and Supervision on anti-money laundering and the fight against terrorist financing.
He has held numerous positions for the Bank, including at European level .

The role of the new Authority
The body will start operating in mid-2025. Money laundering and terrorist financing pose a serious threat to the European Union's economy and financial system. The main objective of the AMLA, which will have direct and indirect supervisory powers, is to increase the effectiveness of the EU framework for combating money laundering and terrorist financing .

The 'Ndrangheta in Germany and money laundering
Germany – as reported by Il Sole 24 Ore – « is a land of money laundering and corruption of the mafias that collect a billion a year here ». This is also what emerges from the 2023 report on organized crime of the Federal Criminal Police Agency (Bka), the 'ndrangheta is obviously the absolute protagonist. The prosecutor Nicola Gratteri , in 2021 gave an interview to the German channel Zdf. « In Germany, anyone, without problems, can arrive with bags full of money, and no one cares how they earned it ».
In 2023, the court of Constance pronounced the first conviction for membership of the 'ndrangheta issued in Germany . It is a 34-year-old waiter from Ueberlingen, born in Italy, found guilty of drug trafficking and support for a foreign criminal organization. In the first instance, the sentence established a prison sentence of three years and six months, definitively reduced on appeal to two years and five months. The waiter worked in the restaurant that investigators assign to the “Bovinciani” with two others, respectively in Baden-Baden and Radolfzell.
It is with the operation codenamed “ European 'ndrangheta Connection ”, coordinated by the DDA of Reggio Calabria, that the Italian police forces together with colleagues from various European countries such as Germany and Holland, deal a heavy blow to crime. In the German branch, the attention of investigators has focused on the historic families of San Luca, accused of international drug trafficking and money laundering activities in the western part of the Rhineland.
The “Duisburg Massacre” that had revealed how San Luca had settled in Germany, apparently, has taught little and that nation has become a land of conquest, where money circulates, the 'ndrangheta extends its tentacles and launders money in construction, catering and the tertiary sector. (fb)

'Ndrangheta, the unpublished stories of Vincenzo Pasquino: the affiliation in 2011, the drugs and the trip to Brazil

Statements released in Brazil by the powerful broker linked to the 'ndrangheta: from the first deals in Spain to the meeting in Platì on August 15th

TURIN «I was affiliated in 2011 in Brandizzo, at the body shop where Domenico Alvaro was on semi-liberty. There they gave me the dowry of picciotto. Domenico Alvaro, who had the dowry of godfather of the “Carni i cani” family, son of Carmine “u cupertuni”, Michelangelo Versaci who had the dowry of picciotto and Vittorio Raso who had the dowry of saint, participated in the affiliation. When I was affiliated I worked with the Alvaros who had a premises in Sinopoli, but they relied on the premises in Chivasso at the time commanded by Pasquale Trunfio». This is the story of Vincenzo Pasquino, born in 1990, born and raised in Turin , considered a leading member of the 'ndrangheta and a collaborator of justice for a few months. In his statements made during some interrogations in Brazil on 28, 29 and 30 November 2023, Vincenzo Pasquino reconstructs his criminal history, starting from the origins.

Vincenzo Pasquino was arrested in Brazil in May 2021 and was detained in the Federal Penitentiary of Brasilia until March 2024, when he was extradited to Italy. After three days of interrogation in Brazil, the 1990-born man, once extradited to Italy, formally began his journey of collaboration with justice. And the reports have now been included in the arrest warrant issued in recent days by the Turin Anti-Mafia District Court, led by prosecutor Giovanni Bombardieri, against 10 individuals under investigation.

The first business

"We took stuff from the Femias," Pasquino says, "and gave Antonio Agresta a point. By this I mean that we gave him a thousand euros per kg because he had introduced them to us but he didn't want to enter the business directly since he already had other businesses." "I started working with Vittorio Raso, making hashish shipments from Spain , and when I started working with him, Domenico Alvaro wanted to stay with us but we didn't like his contacts and how he worked," Pasquino says. "In 2014 and 2015, Domenico Alvaro lost credit because of his behavior, and in 2014, after I got out of prison, I started working exclusively with Vittorio Raso and Bruno Pezzolato, making hashish shipments from Spain to Rome. Since I was working hard, Michelangelo Versaci proposed that I work with the Assisi family in 2015. I accepted and managed the hashish for them." "Michelangelo Versaci wanted to free himself from Antonio Agresta," Pasquino continues, "and it was he who pushed to work with the Assisi and also manage the cocaine. It was he who also pushed Pezzolato to work with them and no longer work with Vittorio Raso who was in Spain. So we started to no longer work with Vittorio but with Francesco Sforza who was also in Spain where he worked for the Assisi."

The departure for Brazil and the meeting on August 15th

Vincenzo Pasquino then talks about his departure for Brazil, a crucial turning point for drug trafficking and, above all, for his criminal career. «I came to Brazil because there had been problems with some loads between the Assisi and Pino Grillo and Rocco Barbaro “U castano”, father of Francesco called “Salciccia”. Patrick said that they had stolen a load because, after six months, they had said that the goods were bad and therefore they had not paid for them (…) several meetings were held in Platì, in particular I remember one in the summer on the mountain, in August 2017». About this crucial meeting, Pasquino says: «(…) it was held because a load of 49 or 53 kg of cocaine had been taken and Patrick Assisi had said that it had passed and instead it had been seized at the Port of Gioia Tauro. The meeting was held in the countryside of Pino Grillo in the mountain area, above Platì. I didn't have my phone with me, I had left it at my wife's house in Isca sullo Ionio (...) I remember that my wife got angry because it was Ferragosto. Pino Grillo, Francesco Barbaro "Salciccia", Pino Perre and those from the furniture factory whose names I don't remember were present". A meeting, explains Pasquino, that didn't lead to the desired result. "(...) so much so that Patrick subsequently deleted the contacts of all of them and it was following this meeting that Versaci and Assisi asked me to come here to Brazil to open a channel independent of the previous line (...) so much so that a 200 kg load of cocaine had left Brazil destined for them which instead was sent to our channel".

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...l-2011-la-droga-e-il-viaggio-in-brasile/

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/le...la-coca-tra-europa-e-sudamerica-e8qgb6fy

Global 'Ndrangheta
The women of drug trafficking: who are the women who have kept the business of the cocaine brokers between Europe and South America going?

Three 'Ndrangheta women are now in 41bis regime because they are considered particularly dangerous:
Aurora Spanò , 67 years old, (at the top of the Bellocco clan of San Ferdinando ), Teresa Gallico (regent of the 'ndrina Gallico of Palmi ) and Nella Serpa , 68 years old, (regent of the homonymous clan consortium of Paola ).

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...asile-grazie-al-nome-di-antonio-agresta/

the investigation
'Ndrangheta, Vincenzo Pasquino's authority in Brazil «thanks to the name of Antonio Agresta»
The tales of the powerful drug trafficking broker ended up in the “Samba” investigation in Turin. «In Brazil I represented the platioti»
Published: 12/16/2024 – 6:53

TURIN «I returned to Calabria in October 2017 but I was asked to return because the drugs were not arriving in Gioia Tauro». It is once again the former powerful broker of international drug trafficking linked to the Calabrian 'ndrangheta, Vincenzo Pasquino, who tells the details of his criminal activity carried out in recent years. A career closely linked to the Piedmont and San Luca families. To the Brazilian authorities, even before being extradited to Italy and officially starting his collaboration with justice, Pasquino explained that he had returned to Brazil «and with Patrick Assisi we were organizing a load of 50 kg of cocaine from the port of Santos to Gioia Tauro. Patrick had instructed two boys from Praia Grande who said they were divers, to secure the bags with the cocaine to the grill located next to the keel. These two boys had used bags of phosphorescent colors and were therefore noticed by the police who seized the load in Santos».

Operation Samba
The details emerged following the arrest of a suspect in the crime carried out in recent days by the Carabinieri and issued by the Turin Anti-Mafia District, led by prosecutor Giovanni Bombardieri. Patrick Assisi, born in 1983, mentioned by Pasquino, is currently detained in Brazil and is one of the suspects in the “Samba” investigation.

The stay in Brazil
From that moment on, Pasquino says, he never left Brazil. And he explains the details of another drug “trip” organized from Brazil to Europe. «Another job was done two months later with 300 kg of cocaine destined for Antwerp and “uploaded” from Santos , with final destination Milan and Turin, where the substance was also intended for Michelangelo Versaci». But, as the collaborator explained, the load had been seized by the police in Santos «because the container had traces of dirt that made them suspicious (…) it was a load half of Patrick Assisi and half of others including Francesco Reitano, some Albanian citizens and other villagers…». And again: «(…) we took the packages of cocaine from the Brazilians, for this particular load, we took 150 kg from the Brazilians in San Paolo who were in contact with Patrick Assisi, those branded “Dolce & Gabbana” , the other 150 kg are part of the 200 kg that we had to do with the sailing ship. This was stuff that Patrick had stolen from the Spanish, in the affair of the sailing ship». Or: «He had stolen from them, in money, 1,750,000 euros. For this affair Francesco Sforza had hell in Spain because they held him responsible because he had introduced the Spanish to Patrick. Regarding these Spanish, I would like to point out that the father of one of them was arrested in Palermo with 1,000 kg of weed», Pasquino explains.

The “lost” cargo and the anger of the santolucoti
As Vincenzo Pasquino explained, therefore, not all the drug shipments from South America and Brazil actually managed to get overseas and to Europe. Regarding the 300 kg of cocaine that fell, the informer explains to the Brazilian authorities that he had argued with everyone, «even with Francesco Reitano and the santolucoti who had already paid for the climb and were demanding the return of the money for the fall of the load. So with Patrick Assisi we had 25 packages of cocaine together, each package was 1 kg, we organized a climb with a “Grimaldi” ship, hidden inside a car». Pasquino explains, however, that he was unable to organize the trip because «whoever was holding it in Rio de Janeiro, had hidden it in a boat and the police found it, 50 black packages that we called “carbonia”, and another 25 if I remember correctly “Bugatti”, in any case I think the same stamp as those seized in Antwerp…».

«In Brazil I represented the platioti»
Vincenzo Pasquino then explained that Michelangelo Versaci «came to visit me in Brazil three times. He came to see how the situations were here and to meet with the Brazilians. (…) he introduced himself as the son of Rocco Barbaro “u Castanu”. I represented them here in Brazil, I mean the platioti, that is “the tightwad”, Pino Perre, the Barbaros, the Agrestas and, in particular, Antonio Agresta born in 1960 who, at the time, was in prison». «When Versaci came to visit me for the first time in 2018 I lived in San Paolo».
It was standard practice, Pasquino explained, that «when I had to demonstrate my authority here to the Brazilians, Michelangelo Versaci, who was Antonio Agresta’s man, would come and I would introduce myself to the Brazilians with him. We operated in the name of Antonio Agresta, even if everyone was only interested in the money. The Brazilians gave me credit because I belonged to a family, which was that of Antonio Agresta». ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...invio-a-giudizio-per-27-indagati-i-nomi/

Chronicle
'Ndrangheta, “Scolacium”: 27 defendants sent to trial – THE NAMES
The investigation would have shed light on a criminal association active in the Catanzaro area between the municipalities of Girifalco, Borgia and Vallefiorita
Published: 12/16/2024 – 2:39 PM

CATANZARO A referral to trial has been requested for the 27 suspects in the “Scolacium” investigation that began last February against the Catanzaro 'ndrangheta and for whom the DDA had closed the investigations last November 8.
The investigation would have shed light on a criminal association active in the Catanzaro area between the municipalities of Girifalco, Borgia and Vallefiorita. 22 people were arrested in the blitz that began on the morning of February 22, including members of the Bruno and Catarisano clans. According to investigators, the two mafia groups would have maintained control of the territory through weapons and extortion, infiltrating with threats and damage in the forestry sector, in that of the wind turbines and of the bathing facilities.

The crimes contested
Among the crimes that the DDA is accusing the suspects of are damage, extortion, weapons and mafia association. The latter is charged to Bruno and Pietro Abbruzio, Massimo Citraro, Antonio Paradiso, Sandro Ielapi, Vincenzo Tolone and Giuseppe Cristofaro , accused of having «directed, organised and participated» in the Catarisano gang, with its epicentre in Roccelletta di Borgia. In particular, at the top of the clan are Pietro Abbruzio and Massimo Citraro with tasks of «organising and directing» the 'ndrangheta group. Both are accused, together with Antonio Paradiso, of extortion against a commercial activity in Borgia and of damaging an excavator owned by a concrete company. Francesco Bruno, Gennaro Felicetta, Adrian Domtanov, Dimitrov, Danilo Vitellio and Raffaele Pace are also accused of mafia association , guilty according to the investigators of «having participated in collusion with each other» in the Bruno gang. According to the prosecution, the head of the 'ndrina is Francesco Bruno, while Gennaro Felicetta is said to have been the regent of the gang after the arrest of the former in the Jonny operation. Investigations have also been closed on the entrepreneur Luciano Babbino , accused of extortion and damage committed within a mafia association. (Gi.Cu.)

The names
The first preliminary hearing has therefore been set for January 17, 2025 in the bunker courtroom in Catanzaro for:

Abbruzzo Bruno (born '68);
Abbruzzo Pietro (born '52);
Father Luciano (born '79)
Bevilacqua Stefano (born '87);
Bova Paolo (born '69);
Bruno Francesco (b. '70);
Catroppa Matteo (class of '01)
Citraro Massimo (born '66);
Ceravolo Rocco (born '78).
Cristofaro Giuseppe (born in '79);
Cristofaro Davide (born in '93);
Danieli Salvatore (born in '84);
Dimitrov Adrian Domianov (cl. '84);
Falcone Domenico (b. '73)
Felicetta Gennaro (born '92);
Gualtieri Francesco (b. '80)
Ielapi Sandro (class of '75);
Macario Franco (born '58);
Macario Simone (born '83);
Mirarchi Santo (born '84);
Pace Raffaele (born '75);
Sestito Ilario (b. '96)
Stitzia Sandra (b. '76)
Paradiso Antonio (b. '62);
Tolone Vincenzo (born '78);
Zaffina Davide Benedetto (b. '91)
Vitellius Danilus (born '79);

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...dre-rocco-anche-lui-scomparso-nel-nulla/

the case
'Ndrangheta, Francesco Barbaro and the legacy of his father Rocco: he too disappeared into thin air
The 35-year-old, son of "U Sparitu", was not found by the ROS Carabinieri at the time of notification of the arrest
Published: 12/16/2024 – 11:43

Francesco Barbaro has disappeared into thin air. As highlighted, when the Carabinieri del Ros showed up at his door to notify him of the arrest warrant for the operation called “Samba” , the 35-year-old was not present at home. An absence that in some ways is not surprising, considering the family context and the tradition of being a fugitive that seems to run through the generations of his family. Francesco, in fact, is the son of Rocco Barbaro (pictured) , known as “U Sparitu”, for a long time considered one of the most wanted fugitives in Italy and a prominent figure in the panorama of the Lombard 'ndrangheta.
Rocco Barbaro, over the years, had gained fame as «the boss of bosses» of the Calabrian 'ndrangheta in Northern Italy , so much so that he ended up in the crosshairs of law enforcement for his leading role in drug trafficking. In 2017, after years of being a fugitive, he was arrested in Platì and sentenced to 16 years in prison. However, his release in 2022 did not represent the end of his influence on the territory. The tradition of “disappearing”, of staying in the shadows and escaping justice, continued with Francesco, known as “Ciccio Salsiccia” in the DDA investigation. He is accused of having been one of the main protagonists in the drug trafficking that involved several European countries . According to the investigations, he would have financed, received and distributed huge quantities of cocaine , until 2020. His criminal activities were not limited only to drug trafficking, but also extended to the management of contacts between clans.
One of the key episodes of the investigation concerns a shipment of 440 kilos of cocaine, coming from Brazil and headed to Italy. The shipment, which left Malaga in 2019, was supposed to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy. The chats decrypted by the investigators revealed the disappointment of the drug traffickers for the failure of the trafficking.
The investigation also highlighted the strong network of family relationships and trust between the Barbaros and other clans, such as the Agresta and Assisi . In one of the wiretaps, Francesco reports to another person involved in the investigation, Vincenzo Pasquino, that his father, Rocco, would be released from prison shortly. In confirmation of these strong alliances, Francesco would also have arranged for packages to be delivered to several members of the clan in prison.

Operation “Samba”
With the operation “Samba” of the Turin DDA and the Carabinieri, a heavy blow was struck to international drug trafficking, with the seizure of tons of cocaine, 23 arrests (5 in Italy and 18 in Brazil) and the blocking of millions of euros laundered through a network of fictitious companies and real estate. This is a transnational criminal network closely linked to the Piedmontese 'ndrangheta and the locals of Volpiano and San Giusto Canavese. (fv)

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/pa...a-ucciderlo-ecco-come-lo-scopri-brk660yk

Pasquino, a drug trafficker from two worlds who repented because the 'ndrangheta wanted to kill him: here's how he found out

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...ato-dallarresto-di-latitanti-eccellenti/

the investigation
The 'Ndrangheta and the PCC terrorists: the Italian-Brazilian axis “bent” by the arrest of prominent fugitives
The capture of the two Assisi, then that of the historical exponents of the Primeiro Comando da Capital, up to the capture of Rocco Morabito and Vincenzo Pasquino: the mark left by the authorities
Published: 12/16/2024 – 18:27

LAMEZIA TERME A first investigative front opened by the Italian authorities concerned Brazil and, in particular, with the Brazilian Federal Police, through the security expert at the Italian Embassy in Brasilia. An evidently fruitful collaboration because on 8 July 2019 it led to the arrest of fugitives Patrick and Nicola Assisi . Massive cocaine trafficking will then be traced back to them and, in particular, loads of just over a ton seized between 2019 and 2019 in the port of Paranaguá. The inter-force collaboration would therefore have allowed to shed light on what the investigators define without hesitation as a sort of “new declination” of the relationships between Vicenzo Pasquino and Michelangelo Versaci with the two Assisi now of transnational character of their trafficking. But not only that.

The investigative results
The Italian-Brazilian investigative front has achieved exceptional results such as the capture of other fugitives of the PCC – the Primeiro Comando da Capital – by the Policia Federal: Sergio De Arruda Quintiliano, known as “Minotauro”, arrested on February 4, 2019 in Balneario Camboriù, right where investigators had documented the presence of Pasquino and Versaci only a few days earlier, from January 27 to 31. And then André De Oliveira Macedo, known as “André do Rap”, arrested in September 2019 and Gilberto Aparecido Dos Santos known as “Fuminho” captured on April 14, 2020. These results have thus convinced the Brazilian and Italian authorities to collaborate and work, in agreement and with the mediation of Eurojust, to create the first joint investigative team. Agreement then signed on April 28, 2020. A first – big – result achieved by the joint investigative team was the arrest of two fugitives of great criminal importance: Rocco Morabito and Vincenzo Pasquino himself, caught on May 24, 2021 in a hotel in Joao Pessoa.

Vincenzo Pasquino
Rocco Morabito and Vincenzo Pasquino
The relationship with the 'ndrangheta and Pasquino
The investigative activities would have allowed, therefore, to bring to light a sort of partnership between the 'ndrangheta family active in Piedmont and some of the most important and influential drug traffickers belonging to the PCC. There is, for example, the aforementioned Sergio De Arruda Quintiliano alias "Minotauro" , considered among the top exponents of the PCC, the one who led and won the "war" with other narco-organizations for the predominance and control of the "triple frontera". A first positive signal comes from a communication from Vincenzo Pasquino in which he explains that he is working with Minotauro, indicating him as the one who waged the war in Paraguay. Another prominent name is that of Gilberto Aparecido Dos Santos, known as “Fuminho”, right-hand man of the founder of the PCC and in turn the highest representative of the organization, captured after 21 years on the run on 13 April 2020 and following the arrest, which took place the previous September, of his faithful collaborator André de Oliveira Macedo, alias “André do Rap” , already resident in the same apartment where Nicola and Patrick Assisi stayed in Praia Grande.



Nicholas and Patrick Assisi
The capture of the two Assisi
As local newspapers wrote about the arrests of Patrick Assisi and his father Nicola in Praia Grande on the coast of São Paulo, “Nicola is called the “Ghost of Calabria” because he hid in the underworld. “Calabria” because that is the region of southern Italy where he is from and where the headquarters of the ‘Ndrangheta is also located (…) in the same building where the Italians were arrested, lived the PCC criminal with whom the Italians negotiated the international drug trafficking: André de Oliveira Macedo, André do Rap, who is on the run and is considered a number one target among the state and federal police…”.


The CCP
The “Primeiro Comando da Capital” is a Brazilian criminal terrorist organization founded in 1993 by prisoners in the Taubaté prison in São Paulo and, from the very beginning, was responsible for various criminal acts such as organizing prison escapes, cell riots, drug trafficking, theft and terrorist activities. In five days, in 2006, in the six most important states of the Brazilian federation, the PCC organized the execution of about 300 people, thus forcing the Brazilian government to negotiate and negotiate with the leader of the organization Marcela, who was then in prison, a truce in exchange for laxity in their illicit trafficking. In 2012, the PCC then organized the massacre of dozens of agents as they left their homes to go to work. According to the latest investigations, an internationalization of the PCC is underway and its presence has been proven in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia. In addition to the collaboration with the Calabrese 'Ndrangheta. ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/nd...rgastoli-per-il-delitto-belsito-uohnqw8m

The sentence
'Ndrangheta, killed for a relationship with the “wrong” woman: two life sentences for the Belsito murder

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...dre-rocco-anche-lui-scomparso-nel-nulla/

the case
'Ndrangheta, Francesco Barbaro and the legacy of his father Rocco: he too disappeared into thin air
The 35-year-old, son of "U Sparitu", was not found by the ROS Carabinieri at the time of notification of the arrest
Published: 12/16/2024 – 11:43

Francesco Barbaro has disappeared into thin air. As highlighted, when the Carabinieri del Ros showed up at his door to notify him of the arrest warrant for the operation called “Samba” , the 35-year-old was not present at home. An absence that in some ways is not surprising, considering the family context and the tradition of being a fugitive that seems to run through the generations of his family. Francesco, in fact, is the son of Rocco Barbaro (pictured) , known as “U Sparitu”, for a long time considered one of the most wanted fugitives in Italy and a prominent figure in the panorama of the Lombard 'ndrangheta.
Rocco Barbaro, over the years, had gained fame as «the boss of bosses» of the Calabrian 'ndrangheta in Northern Italy , so much so that he ended up in the crosshairs of law enforcement for his leading role in drug trafficking. In 2017, after years of being a fugitive, he was arrested in Platì and sentenced to 16 years in prison. However, his release in 2022 did not represent the end of his influence on the territory. The tradition of “disappearing”, of staying in the shadows and escaping justice, continued with Francesco, known as “Ciccio Salsiccia” in the DDA investigation. He is accused of having been one of the main protagonists in the drug trafficking that involved several European countries . According to the investigations, he would have financed, received and distributed huge quantities of cocaine , until 2020. His criminal activities were not limited only to drug trafficking, but also extended to the management of contacts between clans.
One of the key episodes of the investigation concerns a shipment of 440 kilos of cocaine, coming from Brazil and headed to Italy. The shipment, which left Malaga in 2019, was supposed to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy. The chats decrypted by the investigators revealed the disappointment of the drug traffickers for the failure of the trafficking.
The investigation also highlighted the strong network of family relationships and trust between the Barbaros and other clans, such as the Agresta and Assisi . In one of the wiretaps, Francesco reports to another person involved in the investigation, Vincenzo Pasquino, that his father, Rocco, would be released from prison shortly. In confirmation of these strong alliances, Francesco would also have arranged for packages to be delivered to several members of the clan in prison.

Operation “Samba”
With the operation “Samba” of the Turin DDA and the Carabinieri, a heavy blow was struck to international drug trafficking, with the seizure of tons of cocaine, 23 arrests (5 in Italy and 18 in Brazil) and the blocking of millions of euros laundered through a network of fictitious companies and real estate. This is a transnational criminal network closely linked to the Piedmontese 'ndrangheta and the locals of Volpiano and San Giusto Canavese. (fv)

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...ca-non-erano-affidabili-come-i-platioti/

the minutes
'Ndrangheta, Pasquino's revelations: «Those of San Luca were not as reliable as the platioti»
Former drug broker to Brazilian authorities after his arrest: "They told me he was a scoundrel, he was having sex with the secret services"
Published: 12/18/2024 – 7:00

LAMEZIA TERME «The first time I arrived in Brazil I went to Nicola Assisi's house. When Versaci came to Brazil in 2018, he told me that Sebastiano Giampaolo “was a scoundrel”, he was having sex with the secret services. Versaci had come to Brazil because he was Antonio Agresta's man». This is the story provided to the Brazilian authorities by Vincenzo Pasquino, the powerful drug trafficking broker closely linked to the 'ndrangheta, a new collaborator of justice.
As the Brazilian press had anticipated, the repentance of Vincenzo Pasquino, born in 1990, born and raised in Turin, but considered a leading member of the 'ndrangheta, could actually create a real earthquake in the world of criminal organizations .

Relations with Versaci
Pasquino then says that Michelangelo Versaci (born in 1986) already in prison and investigated in the “Samba” investigation by the Turin DDA, «in 2017 he asked me to open a channel through Pinuccio and Ivano Piperissa with the Nirta di San Luca and Sebastiano Giampaolo, then came in 2018 to tell me that instead it was safer to work by staying with the platioti. When I say platioti I mean Agresta, Barbaro, Pino Perre. The latter is the Barbaro errand boy, he is the one who travels around the world». «Versaci came to Brazil several times, 3-4 times a year. Each time he stayed for about a week, he came to see how things were going, to check how I was working and to show the Brazilians that I represented the group of Agresta, Barbaro and Pino Grillo (…)»

Sambati "the man of trust"
«(…) I asked Cristian Sambati to come and help me because he was my boyfriend, he was my trusted man. He is not affiliated, but I trusted him blindly (…) I trusted him more than Versaci who could then report these problems to Pino Grillo…» As emerges from the story provided by Pasquino to the Brazilian authorities, Sambati, born in Turin in 1996, «came to Brazil when they arrested me, initially to give a hand to my wife (…) when they arrested me I was in Rocco Morabito's house with him. Above this apartment there was another one that was mine but at that moment there was no one there. My wife, on the other hand, was with my daughter in another new apartment, which was in another building nearby, still in Joao Pessoa (…) During the Christmas period Paula Assisi invited my wife to go to San Paolo to them. He also invited Cristian to introduce him to some people and allow him to continue the work with the Assisi , continuing on the path opened by Patrick. With them we were already starting in a direct and very strong way because the Assisi had many contacts…».

The Assisi
As Pasquino explained, «the Assisi speak in Sinti among themselves during their conversations. Obviously I am referring to when Patrick's sisters come, who then bring messages to Italy, to Turin and San Luca...». The Brazilian authorities then asked Vicenzo Pasquino about the presence of a copy of his passport and a receipt for the plane tickets in his name too, which were seized during the arrest of the two Assisi. «All those expenses were paid by the family. An accounting of all the expenses incurred had to be kept. For example, in 2021 I spent 20,000 euros on cryptophones alone, since I also bought them from Pateta and other Brazilians...». ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )