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'Ndrangheta, the “tax” on work to assist prisoners and to “keep calm”. The nightmare of a Diamante entrepreneur
The facts emerged from the investigation that led to the arrest of 5 people. They would be linked to the 'ndrina Stummo-Valente subordinated to the Muto of Cetraro
Published: 03/14/2025 – 17:31

COSENZA An extortionate request with the “excuse” of having to support and assist many people who were in prison. And then because Diamante, after all, was their territory, and therefore the request for money was a natural consequence: 40 thousand euros to be exact, a sum that came from public works in progress in Cirella di Diamante. This is the crux of the investigation that, at dawn today, led to the arrest of 5 people on the orders of the investigating judge of the Court of Catanzaro, at the request of the District Anti-Mafia. They are: Leonardo Bevilacqua (class of '86); Roberto Cesareo (class of '67); Giovanni Marino (class of '83); Salvatore Orto (class of '90) and Franco Valente (class of '62), all five ended up in prison on the orders of the investigating judge of the Court of Catanzaro, Mario Santoemma.

Requests for money to "keep calm"
This is at least what a local building contractor was asked for, approached with intimidating methods even while he was in his car, along the SS18, after being flashed by a Fiat 600. The victim recognized two men on board: a certain Giovanni from San Nicola Arcella and Roberto Cesario from Cetraro. The businessman, very worried and intimidated, managed to tell the Carabinieri of Diamante what had happened, after having signaled them to stop, on the street, "appearing particularly agitated" and telling the soldiers, once they reached the barracks, that he "feared for his safety". The victim then explained that "in his opinion the requests came from Cetraro and that they were serious people".
After the first episode, the story would repeat itself a few weeks later. The victim contacted the Carabinieri again, this time reporting a meeting he had in a bar with a certain Salvatore Orto. The latter, as reported by the investigating judge in the order, allegedly told him "that to stay calm and not have problems, it would be better if he had to give Giovanni some money, even a thousand euros , which was enough at the time to keep them calm and show his willingness to pay...", a concept reiterated even when the victim explained that she had no intention of shelling out a single euro. After yet another complaint, the military managed to sketch out the identikit of the subjects reported by the victim.

Criminal profiles
Starting with Roberto Cesareo , a subject with numerous criminal records, arrested in 2013 in the “Plinius” operation. The other, however, was identified as Giovanni Marino who, although he has only one criminal record behind him, of particular interest to the investigators are «the numerous checks with subjects with criminal records and members of organised crime. But that's not all. The dangerousness of the suspects, in fact, was also represented to the victim by another subject of high criminal calibre: Salvatore Orto. The latter, in fact, in addition to boasting numerous criminal records in drug-related matters, as emerged in other investigative contexts, is also said to be a trusted man of Antonio Mandaliti (class '57) from Paola, currently incarcerated in the prison of Asti. The latter, in addition to being the head of the 'ndrina of Diamante, as reported by various collaborators of justice over the years, is said to be second, in order of importance, only to the boss Franco Muto and his son Luigi.

The Stummo-Valente in the shadow of the Muto clan
In short, the episodes that emerged from the investigation are those that fit into a particularly important criminal scenario, that of Scalea, Cetraro and Diamante, marked by the cumbersome presence of powerful 'ndrangheta clans that have taken turns in recent years. A highly active criminal context - often bloody - that manifests itself through widespread control of the territory - with the suffocation of productive activities through extortion of money or other benefits, the "usual" contribution for the families of prisoners or help to friends and gifts for Christmas. Here, in fact, the Stummo-Valente 'ndrina has established itself, operating in the territory of Scalea and surrounding territories, directly connected and subordinate to the Muto clan of Cetraro, as had already emerged in the operation "Plinius" which had documented the evolution of the association, recording the welding between the two factions: the one headed by Pietro Valente and the one that answers to Mario Stummo, "forced to coexist" due to their "subjection to the "Locale di Cetraro"". Accusations that then found definitive consistency with the sentence of the Cassation dating back to 15 June 2016. ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )