https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...anti-e-pizzerie-dalla-ndrina-di-cariati/

boreas
'Ndrangheta in Germany, the “made in Italy” food imported and imposed on restaurants and pizzerias by the 'ndrina of Cariati
The investigation by the District Anti-Mafia Commission has revealed the business carried out by Greco and Talarico "through front men and VAT evasion"
Published: 01/04/2025 – 14:03

LAMEZIA TERME For some restaurateurs in Germany, using Italian ingredients was not a choice, but an imposition . A strategy that did not respond to the laws of the market and the German passion for “made in Italy” but to the obligations of some members of the 'ndrangheta who had long since put down roots in the Baden-Württemberg region .
Wine, oil, cheeses and dairy products in general. And then hams and sausages, tomato sauce and other products for the preparation and packaging of pizza: these were the products that were imported into Germany in particular by the Cariati group. This is what investigators from the Catanzaro Anti-Mafia District reconstructed during the “Boreas” operation which, this morning, led to the arrest of 29 individuals between Calabria and Germany. Twenty in Italy alone, 13 of whom ended up in prison and 7 under house arrest.

Giorgio Greco's group
The members of the Cariati 'ndrina, led by Giorgio Greco (class of '64) who ended up in prison today , would therefore have been involved in importing, distributing and marketing Italian food products in Germany . But not only that: from some wiretaps, investigators are convinced, some members would also have spoken of the marketing of car tires. According to the investigative findings, the distribution of the products in German territory was carried out under the instructions of Raffaele Talarico (class of '60) who was also arrested - at least until the end of August 2021 - that is, until Talarico left Germany to move to Modena, "moving away from the direct management, on site, of the activities in German territory" and from a small group of people, of which, over time, among others, Fiorenzo Santoro, Gaetano Roberto Bruzzese and Cataldo Scilanga, all three ended up in prison, were part.


'Ndrangheta, Stuttgart under siege by the 'ndrina of Cariati between extortion and intimidation
The imposition on restaurateurs
According to the investigations, the once important food products «were marketed both through the warehouse at Falkenstraße 12 in Fellbach, and through direct distribution to restaurants and pizzerias in the area». In this case, the investigations would have shown how «the purchase of the goods, in some circumstances, was in fact imposed on restaurateurs who did not choose to do so voluntarily», leveraging the intimidating power deriving from the membership of the “proponents” to organised crime, «with respect for strict territorial jurisdiction, evidently the result of agreements with similar criminal organisations». The goods were shipped on board some vans while for the purchase of the goods to be distributed, the man from Cariati would have used the company attributable to Fiorenzo Santoro, but also other companies registered to other “front men” with no criminal record or with continuous changes of company presumably «functional to avoiding the consequences of the tax crimes committed such as VAT evasion».

“Faceplate” companies and VAT evasion
According to the prosecution, some wiretaps revealed the fraudulent methods of "purchasing and managing the products" by Talarico through VAT evasion at Santoro's company. "(...) he has one thousand euros left... one thousand five hundred euros clean and he puts them in his pocket", Fiorenzo himself tells Roberto Bruzzese while the two, on 9 April 2021, were on board the Fiat Ducato used by the group. During the continuation of the conversation - the DDA investigators observe - the two would have gone into even more detail, explaining how the Fellbach group, managed by Raffaele Talarico, "to make ends meet and avoid paying VAT on the products marketed, operated using two companies, one of which was in Santoro's name". The two, Greco and Talarico, according to the accusation, would have availed themselves of the work of, among others, Antonello Zavattini, former driver of "uncle Raffaele" and factotum of the organization, and Antonino Perone known as "the accountant", who «were participants in the illicit affairs of the association and well aware of the criminal role of the aforementioned as leaders of the 'ndrina of Cariati». ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )

Raids and arrests in anti-mafia operation in Italy and Germany

A total of 29 arrests have been made in Italy and Germany in a major operation against the mafia. Most of the detainees were rounded up in Italy, the Italian police reported.

The suspects were arrested this morning in various regions of Italy. They are believed to have ties to the 'ndrangheta, the mafia that originated in Calabria.

In Germany, arrests and raids have been made in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland.

According to German media, hundreds of police officers were involved in the operation. The Italian news agency ANSA reports that lawyers and accountants are among the detainees.

In Germany, a police officer was arrested, the public prosecutor's office and the police in Waiblingen announced. The arrested officer is a member of the Baden-Württemberg police and is said to have supported the Calabrian mafia 'Ndrangheta. An arrest warrant has been issued for the 46-year-old man for betrayal of secrets.

The 'ndrangheta is one of the largest and most powerful mafia organizations in Italy, with contacts and activities all over the world. The mafia earns its money mainly from the drug trade, especially cocaine. The 'Ndrangheta is known to have worldwide branches. It is seen as more dangerous than the Sicilian Cosa Nostra or the Camorra from Naples.

The operation follows a joint investigation by German and Italian authorities. Mafia organizations are said to use the German state of Baden-Württemberg as a refuge and also carry out criminal activities there. According to the latest information from the German Ministry of the Interior, around 170 people involved in organized crime live in the state, but according to experts the actual number is much higher.

According to the ministry, the gang members are active in a broad spectrum of crimes, from fraudulent food trade, drug trafficking, weapons offenses and money laundering to tax fraud.

Tuesday's raids, according to Italian police, also come after information from Interpol's I-CAN project. Thanks to I-CAN, Interpol Cooperation Against 'Ndrangheta in full, more than a hundred suspects have been arrested since 2020. Twenty countries are participating, with Germany and Italy being particularly involved.

https://www.dw.com/en/german-policeman-held-over-gourmet-food-scam-in-mafia-raid/a-72106390

German policeman held over gourmet food scam in Mafia raids

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/sc...lle-corna-fatto-da-un-picciotto-cz9bfj1p

Clash in the shadow of the 'ndrangheta rules between the Cirò and Cariati clans over the horns gesture made by a picciotto

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/ma...-tecnici-colombiani-in-calabria-wvd4v7c9

Major drug trafficking in Brescia, the role of the 'ndrangheta and the clandestine refinery with Colombian technicians in Calabria – NOMI

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...e-ai-per-analizzare-relazioni-criminali/

cybercrime
The fight against the 'ndrangheta moves to the web. «The cross-referencing of data through AI to analyze criminal relationships»
Prosecutor Giovanni Bombardieri: «Beware of “hallucinations”, artificial intelligence can return false data»
Published: 03/04/2025 – 7:00

RENDE The Turin prosecutor, Giovanni Bombardieri , returns – for a day – to Calabria and participates in an event organized in synergy between the University of Calabria and the Guardia di Finanza to study the techniques of using Artificial Intelligence and support the training of those who are called upon to face the army of evil on a daily basis.
The fight against crime has moved to the web, the network hides dangerous and profitable frauds (for those who carry them out), disguised investments, fictitious sales, but drug dealing also runs on social media and the deep web. In short, a world parallel to the real one “governed” by unwritten rules and which allows a substantial freedom of maneuver that makes the task of investigators engaged in intercepting the intentions and criminal plans of the scoundrels difficult. As is usual, where money moves, the tentacles of the 'ndrangheta arrive : in step with technological evolutions and able to exploit them to launder dirty money or to swell the army of hackers at its disposal. On this point, the position of the former prosecutor of the DDA of Reggio Calabria is clear: « The important thing is to govern artificial intelligence ».

«Ai-based data cross-referencing to analyze criminal relationships»
" Criminal organizations use artificial intelligence for a whole series of crimes, in cybercrime, in money laundering and in the fractioning of financial flows, even in the processing of data for drug trafficking routes ," says Bombardieri. This is why the use of AI becomes necessary already during the investigation phase. "It is a very important investigative tool because it allows us to process and process a quantity of data that would otherwise take years. In Turin, for example, we have a protocol with the National Interuniversity Consortium for Computer Science to verify how to apply artificial intelligence in a useful way within a criminal proceeding."
The project is in its infancy. "This is obviously an experimental moment, so we are talking about already public proceedings that bring together investigative data with data from open sources and this allows us to evaluate all the possible relationships that may exist between subjects, between facts that can be traced back to criminal events. This is a great opportunity for use ."
There is a danger that is difficult, at least for the moment, to contain. "These are the so-called " hallucinations ", that is, the possibility that artificial intelligence offers false data, data that does not correspond to the truth, even in the creation of connections between people. But this does not mean that it should not be used but that it should be governed through a human verification of all the results of the processing". Therefore, a careful examination of the data processing system is needed and consequently a constant and daily commitment to training. " It is an open world that requires the attention and interinstitutional cooperation of all the bodies that deal with this sector ". (f.benincasa@corrierecal.it)

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/pi...calabresi-sottratti-700-milioni-gnnj33si

The ceremony
Piantedosi in Limbadi relaunches the fight against the 'ndrangheta: «It is a government priority, 700 million stolen from the Calabrian clans»

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/al...de-il-processo-per-143-indagati-dq086eny

Hydra Investigation
Alliance between Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta and Camorra in Lombardy: Milan DDA requests trial for 143 suspects

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...ontro-le-cosche-bruno-e-catarisano-nomi/

“scolacium”
'Ndrangheta in Catanzaro, 22 convictions requested in the trial against the Bruno and Catarisano clans – NAMES
This is the abbreviated procedure of the trial arising from the investigation against the clans operating in the municipalities of Girifalco, Borgia and Vallefiorita
Published: 04/04/2025 – 15:01

CATANZARO The Catanzaro DDA has requested over 150 years of prison for the 22 defendants who chose the abbreviated procedure in the trial resulting from the Scolacium investigation. The operation, which began in February 2024, led to the arrest of 22 people, for a total of 27 suspects, linked to the Bruno and Catarisano clans operating in the Catanzaro area, particularly in the areas of Girifalco, Borgia and Vallefiorita. According to the prosecution, the two clans would have managed the territory through weapons and extortion, with interests in the forestry sector, wind turbines and beach facilities. At the top of the organization attributable to the Catarisanos are said to be Pietro Abbruzzo and Massimo Citraro , accused of criminal association together with Bruno Abbruzzo, Antonio Paradiso, Sandro Ielapi, Vincenzo Tolone and Giuseppe Cristofano. Instead, Francesco Bruno, Gennaro Felicetta and Danilo Vitellio are said to be linked to the Bruno gang, and they are also accused of mafia association. 6 years and 8 months were requested for the entrepreneur Luciano Babbino , accused of extortion and damage. After the closing speech, the prosecutor Debora Rizzo requested 22 sentences: 20 years of sentence requested for Gennaro Felicetta, 13 years for Pietro Abbruzzo, 13 years and 3 months for Massimo Citraro.

The names
Abbruzzo Bruno (born '68); 9 years and 6 months
Abbruzzo Pietro (class of '52); 13 years old
Father Luciano (born '79) 6 years and 8 months
Bevilacqua Stefano (class of '87); 5 years and 4 months
Bova Paolo (born '69); 4 years and 5 months
Bruno Francesco (b. '70); 11 years and 3 months
Catroppa Matteo (class of '01) 2 years and 8 months
Citraro Massimo (class of '66); 13 years and 3 months
Ceravolo Rocco (born '78); 2 years and 8 months
Cristofaro Giuseppe (born '79); 8 years and 6 months
Cristofaro Davide (born in '93); 8 years and 6 months
Danieli Salvatore (class of '84); 2 years and 4 months
Falcone Domenico (class of '73) 5 years
Felicetta Gennaro (born '92); 20 years old
Ielapi Sandro (class of '75); 3 years
Macario Franco (born '58); 5 years and 4 months
Macario Simone (born in '83); 6 years and 3 months
Mirarchi Santo (class of '84); 1 year and 7 months
Sestito Ilario (class of '96) 2 years and 4 months
Paradiso Antonio (b. '62); 10 years old
Tolone Vincenzo (class of '78); 10 years and 6 months
Vitellio Danilo (born '79); 12 years and 6 months

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...i-e-magistrati-ci-rivelavano-le-notizie/

the minutes
'Ndrangheta, the “hot” statements of the former broker Pasquino. «Lawyers and magistrates revealed the news to us»
The representative of the "new generation" of the Volpiano club gave names and surnames in front of the PMs of the DDA of Catanzaro and Turin
Published: 05/04/2025 – 6:34

LAMEZIA TERME «My group and I had some lawyers who gave us news from the judiciary». It was the morning of May 24, 2024 when in Rome, in Rebibbia, before the prosecutors of the Catanzaro DDA, Antonio De Bernardo and Francesco Pelosi and Mario Bandoni of the Turin Anti-Mafia District, Vincenzo Pasquino, the now uncrowned king of international drug trafficking, appears ready to tell everything he knows because, as he has explained several times, «he feared that someone could kill him, even for a little money, in Brazil». The country that has held him in custody for three years, since 2021, the year in which he was arrested in a residence in Joao Pessoa by the federal police of the South American country and the Carabinieri of the ROS, after a period of fugitiveism, while he was in the company of the 'ndrangheta boss and drug trafficker Rocco Morabito, before his extradition to Italy. And Pasquino's are "fiery" statements contained in a report acquired in the "Factotum" investigation by the Turin DDA which, in recent days, closed the investigations.

Pasquino_broker_arrest_Brazil_ndrangheta
Lawyers, magistrates and “services”
A leading member of the Calabrian 'ndrangheta and fully-fledged member of the 'ndrangheta local in Volpiano, Piedmont, a collaborator of justice for just over a year, Pasquino outlined what, according to him, was a real "system to know in advance investigative information" that was evidently confidential. In particular, the drug broker pointed the finger at two lawyers. " One of them is Staiano, the other is Bertolino from the Turin Bar Association." As can be seen from the statements made by Pasquino before the prosecutors of the two DDAs, "they were the ones who gave us the news of the investigations."
And again: "When Belnome, who had accused himself of the murder of Carmelo Novella, repented," Pasquino says that it was "Staiano who warned the Vitales that he (Belnome, ed.) was also talking about us in Turin." Pasquino, speaking to the prosecutors, insists that the Turin lawyer had "close" relations with a judge. «They had business for trips to Lourdes with (…) and his wife who organized the pilgrimages. I also found the bugs at home thanks to him».
The former drug trafficker also mentions «the lawyer from Locri, tall and thin, he also told us things» and that «he had a special eye for Platì» . Lawyers and magistrates, but also a member of the Carabinieri. Pasquino mentions everyone. «Patrick Assisi had told me that the Platioti had relations with Delfino, meaning the member of the Carabinieri who would have left him the relations with the services. And also through the lawyer from Locri I know that he had the relations with the services».
And he ups the ante in front of the prosecutors of the Catanzaro DDA: «Many previous collaborators did not touch these people, precisely because they knew that they were afraid of the fact that they had the secret services behind them…».

Vincenzo Pasquino Rocco Morabito Ndrangheta
Rocco Morabito and Vincenzo Pasquino
Credibility “in the balance”
Statements that are burning and protected, until now, under the shadow of the “omissis”. The weight of Pasquino’s statements, in any case, will have to be evaluated with respect to a credibility that has yet to be earned. Involved in the “Eureka” trial and also arrested in the “Samba” investigation of the Turin DDA – whose position has been consolidated – the defense has contested several statements made by the collaborator of justice. Starting with the relationships with the Assisi that the repentant says – in the reports – to have “interrupted to reach an agreement with the Brazilian PCC”. Relationships that the prosecutors of the Turin DDA first and the investigating judge later, had instead defined as “indissoluble” thanks to a series of investigative elements that emerged on the relationships between Pasquino, the “Platioti” and the Assisi. Pasquino himself in some reports - and this is another dispute of the lawyers - talks about the lack of trust of the Assisi towards the Platioti for the exfiltration of a load of 200kg of cocaine from the port of Gioia Tauro, in others, instead, he talks about «having gone to Brazil to help Antonio Agresta» for the transatlantic route, «thanks to the “exit” in Gioia Tauro through Rosario Grasso» and «having gone to Brazil to provide material help to the Assisi after the arrest of Michael». ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/nd...-carcere-grazie-a-un-telefonino-sodammib

'Ndrangheta, how the Tropea boss ran the gang from prison using a cell phone

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/nd...he-indagato-per-favoreggiamento-mps11szb

'Ndrangheta in Tropea: the former provincial secretary of the PSI victim of the clans but also investigated for aiding and abetting

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...il-genero-prediletto-di-antonio-la-rosa/

the investigation
'Ndrangheta, the business managed from prison after Rinascita Scott and Antonio La Rosa's "favorite" son-in-law
The alleged boss, after the maxi operation, would have maintained contacts with the outside. The recommendations to Surace otherwise "we are ruined"
Published: 04/08/2025 – 19:24

VIBO VALENTIA He continued to manage the gang's business directly from prison, even after Rinascita Scott, using illegally introduced cell phones and thanks to the support of people who remained outside. There is also Antonio La Rosa, boss of the Tropea gang of the same name, among the 10 arrested in the operation "Call me", conducted this morning by the Guardia di Finanza and coordinated by the Catanzaro DDA against some members of the 'ndrangheta of Vibo Valentia. Some of them were already detained in prison, but in constant contact with the outside world thanks to smartphones and cell phones: about 30 thousand phone calls intercepted by investigators in the space of a few months with a particular role played by the women of the family, as underlined in the press conference held by the Prosecutor Salvatore Curcio.

Over 4 thousand calls in a few months
Even after Rinascita Scott, the major operation that began in December 2019, Antonio La Rosa would have continued to manage the clan's business, in particular thanks to the support of his wife Tomasina Certo, who was arrested, and that of his son-in- law Davide Surace , a 40-year-old from Spilinga. The latter would have been the "favorite " for managing the business during the detention of the alleged boss of Tropea, sentenced to 24 years in prison in the first degree of Rinascita. The investigations would have revealed that La Rosa "regularly used 6 cellular devices and 5 SIM cards ", registered to various foreign personalities. Some of these phones would have been shared with other inmates, including Luigi Federici, already arrested in Rinascita and also involved in today's operation. Between October 22, 2020 and May 21, 2021, " a total of 4,709 phone calls " were recorded between the suspect and his family members, including his wife, daughter Cristina La Rosa and her husband Davide Surace. For the investigators, the simplicity with which "La Rosa held and scheduled telephone appointments" was "disarming".

Concern for the fate of the gang
The central theme of the calls is the fate of the criminal gang following the investigation of December 2019, which had effectively changed the balance of the territory. From La Rosa would have come «instructions to his wife and son-in-law in particular on the management of the gang's business , such as relationships with third parties, the collection of money, his support, that of his family and the payments due to the defenders». The investigations would then have revealed the concern of the alleged boss following the maxi-raid, so much so that he specified «to Surace in a loud voice the need for him to be careful, not to expose himself, to stay and take care of his family only». All «his hopes» were on his son-in-law since « if he too had problems 'we'd be left out in the street' ». A constant fear of the operations of the police, so much so that a less than “careful” behavior by Surace would have been harmful because « we are ruined afterwards ». ( ma.ru. )

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...rosa-e-la-falla-nel-carcere-di-siracusa/

call me
'Ndrangheta, dozens of cell phones and SIM cards for the La Rosas and the “flaw” in the Syracuse prison
Antonio La Rosa would have been able to communicate easily with his family from the prison in Avellino
Published: 04/08/2025 – 15:39

LAMEZIA TERME A Samsung T329 , an LG K9 , and then two Unihertz Jelly-Pro and two L8STAR BM50 associated with at least 5 users (SIM cards) registered to as many individuals. These are the phones used by the 'ndrangheta boss, Antonio La Rosa “Ciondolino” (class 62), during the period in which he was in prison, locked up in Avellino after the arrest for the “Rinascita-Scott” operation . These are the phones that La Rosa allegedly used to communicate, even assiduously, with Tomasina Certo, Domenico La Rosa (class '85), Cristina La Rosa and Davide Surace, all of whom are affected by the precautionary custody order, as well as Carmela La Torre and Loredana Molina, among the suspects. These are obviously smartphones that were obtained illegally inside the penitentiary institution, highlighting a "dramatic emergency" as the prosecutor of the Catanzaro District Anti-Mafia Office, Salvatore Curcio, defined it this morning.

The “Call Me” Investigation
In the latest investigation, not by chance renamed “Call me”, the boss Antonio La Rosa allegedly used the devices “to contact his wife Tomasina Certo to find out what was happening outside the prison”, with particular reference to the internal dynamics of his family and to the La Rosa affair over which, despite the restriction in prison, he was able to exercise all his criminal power. The boss, according to what has emerged from the investigation, also inquired “about the courtesy visits received from his wife and the financial help and moral support received”, as well as to take care of the aspects related to the choice of defense attorneys, payment and also to comment on his own trial and indirectly interact with Davide Surace, charged by the boss himself to take care of the gang’s affairs in his absence.

Syracuse prison
The prison of Syracuse
The flaws in the Syracuse prison
Another very rich supply of cell phones was available to Francesco La Rosa. In fact, “U bimbu”, in the Syracuse prison, could count on Samsung , Nokia , L8STAR BM50 devices and several SIM cards registered to foreign citizens. Doors were open in the Syracuse prison also for another inmate, Damiano Fabiano: for him at least three Nokia 3310s , other unknown phones and a Yingtai T30 , in addition to numerous SIM cards registered, in this case too, to foreign individuals. Paolo Petrolo, also in the Syracuse prison, could count on a Nokia 3310, thanks to which he contacted his brother Basilio 31 times; his brother Bruno another 10 times, his father once, his mother Anna Bonavota 7 times and his grandfather, Bruno Bonavota 5 times.


The investigation
The investigators of the Catanzaro Anti-Mafia District, thanks to the investigations conducted on the field by the men of the Economic-Financial Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza of Vibo Valentia, are convinced that they have ascertained, by the suspects, «the improper use of multiple cell phones and multiple SIM cards to communicate illegitimately with family members and other subjects close to them», as explained in detail this morning by the prosecutor Curcio in a press conference. In the investigative phase, listening to the conversations made it possible to ascertain the persistence of their criminal activity «even during their detention, thus being able to have full knowledge of the criminal dynamics that persisted during their absence, the behaviors and actions of associates, relatives and subjects opposed to them». (g.curcio@corrierecal.it)