https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/sa...na-si-nasconde-il-vero-business-rmbc5c2i

Saviano sinks Gintoneria: «Like in the 'Ndrangheta nightclubs, the real business is hidden between champagne and cocaine»

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...o-mentre-san-luca-viene-lasciato-morire/

the in-depth analysis
Drug trafficking and money invested abroad. The “supremacy” of the ‘ndrangheta in the world, while San Luca is “left to die”
The identikit of the clans in the report of the Anti-Mafia Commission. The money transferred via Chinese couriers and the links with the South American cartels
Published: 03/17/2025 – 10:54

ROME A " family-based structure " that has allowed the 'ndrangheta to take root and expand beyond its original borders. " Founded on solid blood ties ", the criminal organisation has seen "the possibilities of 'betrayal' by its members greatly reduced, meaning that when the State became aware of its dangerousness and began to fight the gangs through the action of the judiciary and the police, it was only able to marginally avail itself of the valuable contribution of collaborators of justice and has, therefore, reconstructed only the most striking aspects of a much larger and more insidious criminal phenomenon". This is the identikit drawn by the Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission in the report containing analyses and conclusions regarding the case of the Aspromonte municipality visited on 19 and 20 June. The document also speaks of "an initial underestimation of the dangerousness of the 'ndrangheta and the seriousness of its operations", given the widespread conception of the Calabrian organisation as "a typical phenomenon of backwardness", as "rough and archaic, confined to Calabria or even just in Aspromonte in the monoculture of kidnappings". All elements that have allowed the 'ndrangheta to impose its supremacy "on a global level", especially in the drug trafficking sector . The report refers to huge proceeds reinvested in activities in Europe and the world, while it is clear - writes the commission - "at the end of the mission, the situation of poverty in which the municipality of San Luca finds itself, where there is no trace of the impressive wealth moved by the exponents of the mafia families and who reside there, nor of entrepreneurial initiatives or even the slightest commercial, real estate or other investment. This is despite the fact that, from the information provided by the interviewees and from the results of the investigations carried out in the territory, in more recent times as in past years, it is evident that the local gangs have a very strong influence on the life of the country and that they are interested in the modest resources of the municipal administration and in every sector of competence of the territorial body".

READ ALSO: San Luca and Locride, «non-development trap»: the bleak picture described by the Anti-Mafia Commission

"Supremacy" in global drug trafficking
As has emerged in numerous anti-mafia operations, one of the most important in recent years called “Eureka” , the clans of the Ionian coast of Reggio have shown particular interests in international drug trafficking. Clans capable of “interacting and establishing ties with the homologous districts of the center and Tyrrhenian area, as well as with other Italian and foreign criminal organizations, starting with the South American cartels producing cocaine, with which the families of San Luca have woven solid relationships because they are considered extremely reliable interlocutors, in criminal terms”. An operation that provided a paradigmatic picture of the modus operandi of the 'ndrangheta of San Luca, making clear – writes the Anti-Mafia Commission – « the supremacy of this at a global level in the field of illicit trafficking of substances and narcotics and revealing the «glocal» character of the 'ndrangheta, strongly rooted in traditional areas and equally present in the world: operational articulations of the most influential 'ndrine of the small town of Aspromonte (Strangio, Nirta, Mammoliti, Pelle) have been detected on the national territory and beyond the border in Brazil, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Romania and Slovenia ».

The enormous economic power and investments abroad
The investigations have shown how the clans were able to launder millions of euros of drug trafficking proceeds into the legal economy of foreign countries. The report speaks of the "enormous economic power of the Calabrian clans, connected to the hegemonic role they play in international drug trafficking". During the hearings, the Provincial Commander of the Guardia di Finanza highlighted that "in the last four years, 50 tons of cocaine have been seized in the port of Gioia Tauro and added that the Calabrian organizations purchase the narcotic substance directly from South American producers at a price of 1,000 euros/kg and then put it on the market at prices thirty times higher, achieving huge profits". And again: " the sums of money are transferred from Locride abroad by means of Chinese couriers, in multiple tranches of 500,000 euros , modest amounts for the levels of business of the organization but so determined to avoid huge losses in the event of checks". The payment of the illicit transactions – the “Eureka” investigation has shown – took place through hidden forms of payment, carried out through the contacts of members of the association with citizens of different ethnic groups (Chinese and Albanian) dedicated, even in an organised way, to the transfer of large sums of money in a clandestine and untraceable way (so-called pick up money). « Very high proceeds» , which are not even minimally invested in the Aspromonte municipality, «left to die from an economic point of view» and which are, instead, used in the most varied sectors of the national economy and in the purchase of real estate and commercial activities (ice cream parlors, restaurants) in other parts of Italy and especially abroad (in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain).

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...ince-un-appalto-in-calabria-sei-arresti/

Pisticci-Sant'Eufemia gas pipeline
'Ndrangheta, Friulian company blackmailed after winning a contract in Calabria: six arrests
Request from the Abbruzzese clan for a tunnel in Trebisacce. "They wanted 3% of the value of the contract in exchange for protection and the green light to work"
Published: 03/18/2025 – 8:14

A “tax” to have protection in Calabria: the bribe is worth 3% of the contract . This is what an important Friulian company, Icop of Basiliano (Udine), reports: «A bribe was requested to work in Calabria» states bluntly the engineering group that also operates outside the national borders. The news opens the Messaggero Veneto .
The Friulian company won a contract in Calabria – says the newspaper on newsstands today – and, blackmailed by the 'ndrangheta, reported everything to the police: in the last few hours six arrests have been made . The president of the company, Vittorio Petrucco, explained: «They wanted 3% of the value of the contract in exchange for protection and the green light to work» .

The story
""To avoid problems" we should have paid 3% of the value of the contract: 150 thousand euros that would have been obtained from the over-invoicing carried out by colluding companies, using false documentation relating to cement deliveries, landfill disposal and other oversized services". This is the request made to an Icop employee by the 'ndrangheta to the same company, which reported the fact to the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate of Trieste. The affair dates back to two years ago and ended with the arrest of six people for extortion aggravated by mafia methods and purposes . The case is reported with great prominence - in addition to the Friulian daily - also by other publications of the Nem group. The president of Icop, which deals with construction and special engineering works, Vittorio Petrucco, revealed it to the press in a long interview.
Icop had "a subcontract from Tre Colli spa with whom we have always collaborated and who was not involved in the facts, to build the variant to the Pisticci - Sant'Eufemia methane pipeline, fourth section, on behalf of Snam rete gas" .
It involved digging a micro tunnel in the municipality of Trebisacce, a five million euro contract as part of a much larger public work. The request was apparently sent by the Abbruzzese gang , according to the Messaggero Veneto . "From a work point of view, it was decided to go ahead, as if nothing had happened", explains Petrucco. For whom, in order not to be afraid in these cases "you must not think".
"We had already been both in Naples, in Piazza Municipio, and in Cefalù, in Sicily, for a large job for the Railways, and we had never had problems. Where there is serious control by the State, nothing happens". Will he take on other jobs in Calabria? "I really don't think so" .

The group
Icop, a subsoil engineering company and one of the main European operators in the field of special foundations and microtunneling.
It is a company of excellence, whose presence in Calabria would certainly raise the entrepreneurial level: the group is based in Basiliano and employed approximately 350 people at the end of 2023 with offices in 17 countries around the world.
In particular, the company has developed a strategic approach based on principles of environmental, social and governance (ESG) responsibility, implementing numerous concrete initiatives: for this reason it was awarded – last October – the prestigious Sustainability Award 2024, ranking first overall among the 260 companies of excellence awarded at Palazzo Mezzanotte, home of the Italian Stock Exchange. ( redazione@corrierecal.it )

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...-condannato-a-19-anni-giovanni-morabito/

the sentence
'Ndrangheta in Milan, Giovanni Morabito Sentenced to 19 Years
The 62-year-old is the son of the boss Giuseppe, known as “u tiradrittu”
Published: 03/18/2025 – 19:30

MILAN Giovanni Morabito, the 62-year-old son of the 'ndrangheta boss Giuseppe, known as “u tiradrittu” , has been sentenced to 19 years and 4 months in prison. He is accused of association for the purpose of drug trafficking and criminal association for tax crimes and money laundering. This was decided by the preliminary hearing judge of Milan, Anna Calabi, in the abbreviated trial born from the investigation with 68 suspects conducted by the operations centre of the DIA of Milan , by the Carabinieri of the investigative unit of Monza and by the central investigative unit of the penitentiary police and coordinated by the prosecutors of the Milan DDA Sara Ombra and Paolo Biondolillo on the alleged illicit activities of the two criminal groups attributable to the Morabito-Palamara-Bruzzaniti gang . Along with Morabito, defended by the lawyer Giovanna Beatrice Araniti, 17 other defendants were sentenced with the alternative trial, 5 pleaded guilty while 27 others were sent for trial.

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...ano-una-truffa-non-coinvolgono-estranei/

THE MINUTES
'Ndrangheta, in the “Eni dossier” Gallo's accusations against Mazzagatti: «If the Piromallis organize a scam they do not involve outsiders»
Statements to the prosecutors of Milan by the former super-policeman. "Those who know Oppido Mamertina know". The entrepreneur, however, was acquitted
Published: 03/18/2025 – 6:47

MILAN «I like to understand how the 'ndrangheta works. I am an expert on the 'ndrangheta» , I or until 2010 «until I left the homicide, I made reports for the Dda of Milan». So I like to study the 'ndrangheta, «I told my clients “if I tell you that Carmine Gallo is not connected to the 'ndrangheta it is certain”, because even at the cost of asking my informants around I did it».
It is December 11, 2024 when the suspect Carmine Gallo presents himself to the prosecutors of the Dda of Milan for questioning. The report, together with a huge amount of documents, has been filed together with the others already partly declassified.
From these statements emerges the passion that, for decades, animated the life of Carmine Gallo, struck down by a heart attack last March 9 while he was under house arrest. An illustrious career overshadowed by the recent investigation into alleged dossiers and cyber espionage by the Milan DDA and “Equalize”.

The report for Eni
The questions of the prosecutors Francesco De Tommasi and Antonello Ardituro focus on specific topics, aiming to shed light on some of the aspects that emerged from the investigation, with particular reference to the well-known Eni affair and the report that was allegedly drawn up on behalf of the oil company against Piero Amara, Vincenzo Armanna, the first former external lawyer and the second former manager fired by Eni but both major accusers in the Eni/Shell-Nigeria trial that ended with all acquittals in 2021, and the Calabrian entrepreneur, Francesco Mazzagatti. The prosecutors ask Gallo how the relationship with the oil company began, the former super policeman talks about a man, the owner of a company, who put him in contact with the lawyer Speroni. "When I see him, he already knows my background, and he gives me the assignment and says: 'Through the firm, is that okay? Dentons, I would like to give you an assignment for a financial reconstruction of Amara and Armanna.'" All because, as Gallo explained to the prosecutors, "they had been acquitted, I believe, and wanted to ask for financial damages from Amara and Armanna. So they are asking us for a financial reconstruction and the connections they may have" and in addition a "financial reconstruction of both, the connections they have with people who may have revolved around the Eni affair", the one linked to the investigation into Nigeria, to be clear.

Carmine Gallo super cop ndrangheta dossier
Gallo's "shadows of 'ndrangheta" on the Calabrian entrepreneur in the report for Eni and the stolen PC at dinner
The "Mazzagatti line"
At this point the former super cop explains to the prosecutors: «In the reconstruction of Amara's assets I also include the thread that intrigued me the most, the Mazzagatti thread». Why? Gallo himself explains it to the prosecutors. «It intrigued me from a former professional point of view, because I say: I worked in Oppido Mamertina, if Mr. Mazzagatti was born there and without art or part he sets up a fruit juice company in the port of Gioia Tauro, at 22/23 years old. He sets it up there and is also arrested for fraud, attributable to the Piromalli group, and then he is acquitted, eh! And so on ...». And again: «Suddenly the company transforms from fruit juices to trading in petroleum products. The company changes headquarters from Gioia Tauro and moves to London ... the thing intrigues me». Gallo's suspicions, in fact, lead him to carry out some investigations and «I verify that in Oppido Mamertina there is a clan, but I already knew that, a 'ndrina called 'ndrina Mazzagatti» and these, he explains to the prosecutors, «are second cousins ??of this Mazzagatti here, and therefore I say “there is something wrong”».

The Crude Oil Cargo Scam
Carmine Gallo talks about the "famous Iranian crude oil shipment, passed off as Iraqi". And it is at this juncture that the prosecutor focuses on Gallo's accusation against the Calabrian entrepreneur. "I acquire the order of the investigating judge of Palmi, and I see that all the members of this organization are Piromalli or linked to them", pages and pages of orders that push Gallo to focus on an element, for him, key: "Anyone who has dealt with the 'ndrangheta knows it: if the Piromalli organize a scam, they don't bring home people who are not linked to them" and "one of them even collaborated, after which he was acquitted, I must say, Mazzagatti", admits Gallo who in any case does not change his position with respect to the Calabrian entrepreneur.

Contacts with the collaborator of justice
Conclusions that, he tells the prosecutors, Gallo drew « through a collaborator of justice, a cousin of Saverio Morabito , I had convinced him in the 90s to collaborate and he collaborated with justice, someone who for better or worse gave me information before». According to Gallo, therefore, this collaborator of justice provides him with compromising details to reconstruct Mazzagatti's profile, «but I didn't include it in the report, no». Gallo himself, responding to the prosecutors, admits to having done research on the SDI (…) I acquired through Eni some documents filed by the Guardia di Finanza who had already carried out the investigations, where it was written that he had been stopped together with the Piromallis and I say: “Porco Giudas!”», with a certain regret for not having “trusted” his own knowledge. Although in the end Mazzagatti will be acquitted of all charges. ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...ico-polito-e-i-20-anni-a-michele-galati/

the sentence
Maestrale, heavy sentences for the 'ndrangheta of Mileto: life imprisonment for Domenico Polito and 20 years for Michele Galati
The first is considered the "accountant" of the place and "collector" between prisoners and bosses. Galati would have been the "boss" in the absence of his brother Fortunato
Published: 20/03/2025 – 19:18

CATANZARO There are also heavy sentences among the 50 inflicted against the 'ndrangheta of Vibo Valentia in the first degree of the abbreviated trial of Maestrale. The first sentence of the trial that also includes the Olimpo and Imperium operations arrived today , with the accusatory system of the Catanzaro DDA that held up halfway between "excellent" acquittals and heavy sentences. Among these, the life sentence inflicted on Domenico Polito , known as "u ciota", a 50-year-old believed to belong to the Mileto club, of which he is said to be the "promoter and organizer", as well as a subordinate of Michele Galati , considered to be at the top of the 'ndrina and who was given 20 years in prison. The ordinary trial of Maestrale, which has 285 defendants, is still underway at the Court of Vibo Valentia.

The profile of Domenico Polito, the alleged accountant of the club
Born in 1974, Domenico Polito, sentenced to the maximum penalty, is believed to belong to the Paravati 'ndrina, of which he is also said to be a " collector between the club and the prisoners ". The clan's "accountant", he is said to have managed the money from illicit proceeds, guaranteeing prisoners "economic assistance and managing communication between them and the bosses who remained free". Investigators also reconstruct several extortion episodes that are said to be attributable to Polito, such as the one perpetrated against a restaurateur after a dinner with Michele Galati, when the latter, referring to the owner, is said to have said: "You don't understand, no... that this is a request for a bribe!... How the fuck are we supposed to spoon-feed it to you?!". Domenico Polito is also accused of having played a role in the murder of Angelo Antonio Corigliano , which occurred on 19 August 2013 in Mileto. The alleged "accountant" of the Mileto club would have participated, according to the prosecution, both in the mafia summit in which the murder was decided and planned, and in the ambush itself with a lookout role, as he himself would have also recounted in some conversations intercepted with Michele Galati. A murder, carried out to avenge the death of Giuseppe Mesiano, for which Massimiliano Varone was also under investigation , unlike Polito who was acquitted today in light of a request by the prosecutors for 30 years in prison.

Michele Galati «point of reference for the 'ndrina»
A “lighter” sentence (20 years) for Michele Galati , considered to be at the top of the 'ndrina and «boss» in place of his brother Fortunato Galati, sentenced to 24 years for murder, and his father Salvatore, sentenced to life imprisonment for double murder. According to investigators, during his brother's absence, Michele Galati was the «point of reference» of the Mileto club for the other criminal associations, managing balances and relationships with the other gangs as well as organizing the clan's illicit activities. The repentant Giuseppe Giampà also spoke about him, identifying him as an «exponent of organized crime» and ambitious to emerge «in the Mileto gang». ( ma.ru. )

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...-confiscati-beni-per-48-milioni-di-euro/

“Low profile”
'Ndrangheta in Crotone, “ghost” companies and colluding companies: assets worth 4.8 million euros confiscated
The measure concerns 6 people definitively sentenced and linked to the premises of San Leonardo di Cutro and Roccabernarda
Published: 20/03/2025 – 8:02

CROTONE The Catanzaro DIA has executed a confiscation following the ruling of the Catanzaro Court of Appeal, which became final last February, with which numerous sentences were imposed in the context of the trial born from the Profilo Basso operation concluded in January 2021. The measure concerns 6 people definitively convicted of criminal association, issuing invoices for non-existent transactions, fraudulent transfer of values ??and self-laundering, crimes aggravated by mafia facilitation. Movable and immovable assets as well as banking relationships and financial assets for a total value of approximately 4.8 million euros are transferred to the State . The six collaborated with the heads of the 'ndrangheta locals of San Leonardo di Cutro (Kr) and Roccabernarda (Kr) to create a network of phantom companies (also known as shell companies) that issued false invoices to colluding companies, allowing the latter to evade income taxes and VAT for large amounts, as well as to obtain undue refunds from the Treasury for tax credits that in reality did not exist.

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/la...ommettere-omicidi-pb8az62q#goog_rewarded

The secret hill in Catanzaro where the 'ndrangheta went to stock up on weapons (also) "to commit murders"

https://www.giornalelavoce.it/news/...la-ndrangheta-non-molla-il-piemonte.html

Calabrian clans and Turin business: the 'ndrangheta does not abandon PiedmontOperation Habanero: Arrests in Orbassano, Nichelino, Brandizzo, Mazzè and Rondissone

According to German and Italian investigative services, there is now at least one permanent 'Ndrangheta cell with at least 12 initiated members in the Netherlands, led by a high-ranking member .

When is a person a member of the mafia?
An important question in the conclusion of the investigation is when a person can be considered a member of the mafia. It is of course not the case that all crimes committed in the Netherlands that have a connection with Italy involve the mafia. This only applies when the participants in the illegal activities are members of a mafia-like organisation. The Italian Criminal Code states in article 416bis that the following definition must be met for this:
‘The association can be considered to be of the mafia type when the members use violence or intimidation to commit criminal offences or to gain control, directly or indirectly, over economic activities; to obtain contracts that the government outsources to private parties, to make profits for themselves or others in an unfair manner, as well as to jeopardise the free right to vote or to solicit votes for themselves or others in elections. These activities must arise from membership of the partnership and be carried out on its behalf and in subordination, including adherence to the duty of confidentiality (omertà).’

People who are known in Italy as members of the mafia
To begin with, people who are known to the Italian authorities as
suspected or convicted members of one of the above-mentioned mafia groups may reside in the Netherlands. In that case, it has been stated in the context of the
Cerca Trova project that we are indeed dealing with a (suspected) mafia member. This does
not, of course, mean that they are also guilty or have committed criminal offences in our country.
Although initiated members of these organisations must in principle remain available for
criminal activities their entire lives 3, they may also have merely been hiding in our country
People who are not known in Italy as mafia members
In addition, people of Italian origin may be encountered – the mafia rarely or never
accepts foreigners as members – who are not known in Italy to belong to the mafia. An example that was encountered
concerned an Italian who had been living in the Netherlands for many years and who was found to
have provided assistance to a known mafia member who was hiding in our country. Is such a person
a member of the mafia or not? Without more in-depth information about the nature of the relationship, it is not possible
to make a statement about this and that information was usually not available. In these situations, it is sufficient to establish that in any case there were ties with mafia members.

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...-bellocco-e-il-disappunto-per-i-pentiti/

the investigation
The 'ndrangheta explained by the boss Pino Arabia: the “trap” for the Belloccos and the disappointment for the repentants
The alleged assault on a witness in the Grande Drago trial and the "golden rules" of the Calabrian underworld

REGGIO EMILIA «Because underneath the 'ndrangheta is different…». The Calabrian crime that evolves and adapts even when it crosses regional borders: quieter, less violent and more “chameleon-like” to better infiltrate the economy. This is explained by the boss Giuseppe Arabia , arrested in the Ten operation that began last March 12 in Emilia Romagna. The investigations revealed some conversations held by the same “Pinu u nigru” with other alleged exponents of the 'ndrangheta or subjects close to the Calabrian clans, in which the 'ndrangheta dynamics in the Emilian land are discussed. Even the collaborators of justice end up in the crosshairs of the interlocutors, guilty of having gone against the rules of the 'ndrangheta that prohibit any type of collaboration with the State.

The 'ndrangheta's ability to adapt
Emblematic, according to the investigators, is the description that Pino Arabia makes of the «ability of the 'ndrangheta to adapt in operating outside the borders of Calabria». «Downstairs the 'ndrangheta is different…» he is said to have said, referring to the fact that in the territory of origin for certain crimes one would not even end up in jail. An expression that for the investigators effectively summarizes « the ability of the 'ndrangheta to adapt to the territory in which it develops its action , taking on less violent and traditional appearances than those adopted in the motherland».

Alleged assault on a witness
In another passage Arabia reconstructs some episodes related to the conviction received in the Grande Drago trial, claiming to " have the list of all those who testified against him ", including collaborators of justice. But, above all, he speaks of a specific witness, one of the first victims of extortion to have spoken during the trial. Arabia allegedly carried out " a brutal armed attack for revenge " against him. The episode was not, however, reported by the victim. For the investigators, however, "the residual hypothesis of a boast must be excluded" told by the alleged boss "in light of the absence of any reason that should have induced Arabia to boast about non-existent facts".

The Bellocco “trap” and the rules of the 'ndrangheta
Also targeted are the Calabrian informers, including Rocco Gualtieri and Salvatore Angelo Cortese. In particular, «with disappointment» it is underlined «how in recent times the 'ndrangheta originating from Cutro had produced new collaborators of justice , while in the past there had been none». Emblematic is the story told by Arabia, in another conversation, of an episode in which a member of the 'ndrangheta, to avenge the death of his brother « had behaved like a scoundrel , because, contravening, once again, the 'ndrangheta rules, he had tried, by showing up with a tape recorder on him , to have the boss Carmelo Bellocco arrested », belonging to the homonymous gang in the Piana di Gioia Tauro. A “trap” that Arabia did not like at all, who with his interlocutor reiterated once again the «fundamental golden rules of the 'ndrangheta: do not collaborate with the State and do not resolve disputes by resorting to the police». ( ma.ru. )

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...traffici-di-cocaina-a-livorno-e-catania/

THE INVESTIGATION
'Ndrangheta, the repentant at the service of the Molè who revealed the cocaine trafficking in Livorno and Catania
Already involved in the investigation of the DDA of Florence, Errico D'Ambrosio in the Catania investigation revealed the connections between Calabrians and Sicilians
Published: 03/24/2025 – 7:02
LAMEZIA TERME His was a name of absolute importance in international drug trafficking between South America and Italy, with particular reference to the port of Livorno, but not only. His statements, in fact, have also broadened the interest to another port: that of Catania. Born in 1984 in Cercola, he is considered a "contact person for the 'ndrina Molè", collaborating when necessary with Albanian "recoverers" but also as members of the Sacra Corona Unita of Foggia. This is the identikit of the collaborator of justice Errico D'Ambrosio. Recent investigative findings tell of a person who would have acted "in direct contact with Ernesto Madaffari, head of the 'ndrina Molè". The Anti-Mafia District of Florence accused him of having "exfiltrated the cocaine from the port of Livorno, purchased in South America in operational synergy between exponents of Italian organized crime and those of Albanian organized crime".

Relations with the Camorra
Regarding the relationship between D'Ambrosio and the Molè, it has emerged that the former, after his release from prison, had moved to Naples under the "protection" of the Amato Pagano family, with the consent of the 'ndrina Molè, with which he started drug trafficking, dealing with the regent Antonio Pompilio. His name has now emerged from the new investigation by the Catania DDA focused once again on cocaine trafficking and alleged connections with the Calabrian 'ndrangheta . The investigators have acquired his statements made on March 28, 2024, regarding the responsibilities of Angelo Sanfilippo and the other suspects, in the activity of importing from abroad to the port of Catania and the subsequent exfiltration of the large quantity of cocaine.
D'Ambrosio also worked with the Amato-Pagano family of the Camorra, and spoke about numerous drug brokers, starting with Raffaele Imperiale and his right-hand man Bruno Carbone, providing crucial information on the clan of the (now ex) "secessionists".

The Molè, Curciarello and the people of Catania
"My family of belonging in Calabria is the Molè clan. In May 2022 I was contacted to resolve a problem regarding the exfiltration of a shipment of cocaine arriving at the port of Catania, equal to approximately 106 kg", D'Ambrosio said. In particular, I was contacted by "(...) and by a certain Paco who I know as Giuseppe Curciarello from Siderno. I immediately went to Catania aboard a rented white 500 X...". The repentant then told the prosecutors: "After my arrival in Catania, on the Saturday evening before the seizure of the shipment of narcotic substances that I was trying to recover, Paco and I - Giuseppe Curciarello, ed. - entered the port of Catania, inside which I remember there is a disco. Nino Vasta came with a certain Angelo on board another car and called “Angelo” allowed us to enter the port because he managed to raise the access barrier by speaking with the person in charge of security». This Angelo «had relations with the father of a person who worked inside the port and who had a role connected to the recovery of the narcotic substance in question». The reference, in this case, is to the two Angelo Sanfilippo and Melino Sanfilippo, both arrested in the Catania blitz. «The problem was linked to the sheet metal of the roof of the container inside which the narcotic substance had been hidden and which had unsoldered: adhesive tape was put on to keep the sheet metal lowered. I was irritated because this expedient could have made the exfiltration of the narcotic substance dangerous». And so it was: the narcotic substance was not recovered due to the seizure carried out by the Guardia di Finanza. "Curciarello - D'Ambrosio continued - told me that the cargo in question was destined for the Mussi, the Laudani, subjects considered very serious and capable of honoring economic commitments. However, I cannot specify to which group in particular, territorially speaking, it was destined".

The Florence Investigation
The statements of the repentant Errico D'Ambrosio were also decisive for the advancement of the investigations of the Guardia di Finanza of Pisa. The 1984-born man had begun collaborating with the Tuscan prosecutors on February 2, 2024. He admitted to having held the rank of "Vangelo" in the Molè family and not only confirmed that he had participated, in 2022, in two unsuccessful operations for the exfiltration of cocaine from the port of Livorno, but also allowed the financiers of the imports and the group of subjects involved in the complex activities of recovery of cocaine from the port of Livorno to be identified, as had already emerged from the investigations of the Guardia di Finanza. The investigations had revealed a few months ago 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 in the Tuscan port, according to D'Ambrosio. ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )

But who is Giovanni Morabito? At the time of his arrest, the man worked as a doctor in a nursing home in Milan . His father, the boss Peppe Morabito, was originally from Africo, a town in the province of Reggio Calabria. His 62-year-old son ended up in an investigation, coordinated by the Milan district anti-mafia directorate (specifically by public prosecutors Paola Biondolillo and Sara Ombra), which involved two criminal groups. Morabito was arrested at dawn on October 24, 2023.

The two groups were involved in drug trafficking, extortion and economic-financial crimes including fraud on Covid funds and the 110 bonus for real estate renovations.

I believe his father 'u tiradrittu ("the straight shooter") is still alive lol born August 15, 1934.

Anti-'Ndrangheta operation in the province of Crotone and other Italian regions, police arrested 17 members of the Arena-Nicoscia clan based in the town of Isola Capo Rizzuto. The arrested are charged with mafia-type association, extortion, loansharking and weapons trafficking.

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...-al-rapporto-con-il-numero-uno-di-plati/

the investigation
'Ndrangheta, the former penitent Romeo and the Barbaro: from retractions to the relationship with «the number one of Platì»
In the “Ndrangheta Stragista” trial he denied a 1996 report. Years later, in Milan, they found themselves collaborating for a mediation
Published: 03/26/2025 – 6:46

LAMEZIA TERME «A lifetime has passed, I have had a lot of problems in life. Try to imagine if I can remember Morabito». And again: «You die once in life, not a hundred times. If someone decides that I have to die, it's not a problem, I'm not afraid of anything or anyone, Mr. Prosecutor» . A surreal deposition, a sensational episode during the “Ndrangheta Stragista” trial. It is June 2, 2022 when in the bunker courtroom of Reggio Calabria the now ex-repentant Annunziatino Romeo denies everything in response to the prosecutor Lombardo and, above all, of having been a man of the 'ndrangheta and a member of the criminal organization led by his cousin, Saverio Morabito, and the Sergi brothers of Platì. Above all, he denies any content of the report filed on 16 May 1996 containing specific declarations on the criminal groups operating in Platì and their top officials, military capabilities, support from representatives of the institutions, freemasonry, politics, interests considered, at the time, by the witness to be crucial for the consolidation of criminal power itself and the existence of what was defined as "The Chamber", a criminal area of ??the highest level.

The arrest
Some time has passed but Annunziatino Romeo is once again the protagonist of the judicial news. The former pentito born in 1964 in Platì was arrested by the Carabinieri Ros for private violence and investigated for attempted extortion with the aggravating circumstance of the mafia method. He was apparently chosen, according to what has emerged, by the former super-policeman Carmine Gallo (who died in recent weeks) for a "mediation" between two entrepreneurs, hoping to be able to count on the criminal "weight" of Romeo, but also that of two members of the Barbaro family: Pasquale and Francesco.

READ ALSO: Former 'ndrangheta informer Romeo chosen by Gallo for a "mediation". "He's from Calabria, from Platì"

The 'ndrine of Milan and Platì
Annunziatino Romeo himself, during his time as a collaborator of justice, had allowed the identification of some individuals affiliated with the 'ndrangheta and active in Buccinasco and Corsico, in the Milan area, and Platì, linked to the 'ndrangheta families of Barbaro, Papalia, Sergi and Trimboli. Except to retract everything on June 2, 2022. "I don't know. I don't know if they participated, or if they participated, I don't know. I couldn't tell you, I didn't participate in any meetings, I never did any of these things". Romeo, then, changes his version in the courtroom also with respect to the alleged participation of the De Stefano, Papalia and Barbaro families in the meetings in Reggio Calabria. Those Barbaros, in short, ended up at the center of the new investigation by the Milan DDA.

Pasquale "number one of Platì"
According to the investigation, the Roman entrepreneur Lorenzo Sbraccia (under investigation), in his role as CEO of a general contractor specialized in the management of complex construction projects, Fenice Spa, between May and October 2023, turned to the Equalize group "for support in mediating with a subcontractor for construction work on several construction sites managed by Fenice", with a clear request: to find a mediator with "sufficient intimidating ability" to convince the other party to sit down at the negotiating table and grant "a sum far lower than that requested, just over 8 million euros, compared to the 35 requested". During the "negotiations" that investigators divide into three phases, through another individual under investigation, Umberto Buccarelli, the two Barbaros enter the scene, including Pasquale himself, who Gallo, in an intercepted conversation, defines as "Platì's number one". And again: «… this Pasquale told Nunzio “you and I talk to those people over there who will guarantee that the thing will end well”». At a certain point in the negotiation, in fact, the former penitent Romeo answers to a higher authority that can be identified precisely in the Barbaro family. (g.curcio@corrierecal.it)

The linchpin of these activities and a prominent figure would be a 44-year-old Calabrian entrepreneur, resident for years in Egna (defended by the lawyer Nicola Nettis of Bolzano), believed to be at the center of a massive tax crime ring. The glue with the Calabrian gang.

In the blitz of the Carabinieri, assets worth 50 million were seized from 23 people and companies connected to them in Bolzano, Bologna, Crotone, Milan, Rome, Foggia, Salerno, L'Aquila and Switzerland.

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...zione-dei-trafficanti-con-la-ndrangheta/

the operation
Cocaine from Colombia to Calabria and Milan: "Rony" arrested, the "link" of traffickers with the 'ndrangheta
He is considered a member of the “Junta del Narcotráfico”. For the Colombian authorities, the 'ndrangheta is «a significant threat to international security»
Published: 03/26/2025 – 18:43

A new blow to international drug trafficking along the route from South America to Europe and, in this case, directly to Calabria. In Colombia, Ronald Fernando Acosta Cuesta, known as “Rony”, was captured. His arrest took place in the municipality of Garagoa, in the department of Boyacá. From here, in fact, the man was in charge of “coordinating the transport of cocaine to the European continent”. “Rony” is considered a member of the “Junta del Narcotráfico”, an international criminal structure, with operations that span multiple countries and continents. The official announcement, moreover, was given on social media by the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, citing the arrest of two individuals who are members of criminal organizations such as, precisely, the “ Junta del Narcotráfico” and “Mara 18”.


According to the first information gathered, therefore, “Rony” would have been in the service of the 'ndrangheta, «transporting cocaine between Calabria and Milan». According to what was reported by Colombian newspapers, for the moment Ronald Fernando Acosta Cuesta alias “Rony” has been left at the disposal of the Colombian authorities, with the possibility of requesting extradition to Europe (or the USA) or remaining in Colombia to answer for the alleged crimes committed here.

Dollar arrest Cartagena
The arrest of “Dollarino”
The arrest of “Rony” is part of a context, the Colombian one, in which the fight against drug trafficking has become an enormous challenge. Just a few days ago, in fact, the Policía Nacional in Cartagena – in the north of Colombia – arrested another leading figure in international drug trafficking: Emanuele Gregorini, alias “Dollarino” considered «a leading figure of the Italian mafia operating in Latin America», active in the shipment of large loads of drugs to the European continent. The arrest of “Dollarino” took place on 18 March 2025, at the end of a joint operation between the Policía Nacional Colombiana, Interpol and the agencies of Italy and the United Kingdom. As it emerged from the investigation, in fact, the main objective of “ Dollarino ” was to reduce the logistical costs of these operations, «eliminating intermediaries and negotiating directly with drug producers in Colombia». A plan devised to "maximize the profits of the mafia network he represents" and which would group together the Camorra, Cosa Nostra and the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta. Gregorini would be part of the Campania component, directed by Michele Senese, of the alleged mafia consortium in Milan that emerged from the "Hydra" investigation by the Milan Anti-Mafia District which, in recent days, closed the investigations for 146 suspects ( WE WROTE ABOUT IT HERE ).

"A significant threat to international security"
As reported by Colombian newspapers, Brigadier General Carlos Fernando Triana, director of the Colombian National Police, stressed «the importance of this operation in the fight against transnational organized crime», while underlining the main role of the Calabrian 'ndrangheta and the «need to strengthen cooperation between countries to confront it», considering it operational at a global level and «a significant threat to international security» . According to the State Police, four Italian mafia bosses have already fallen in Colombia. ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/al...llo-di-slot-machine-e-scommesse-yadgvbac

Gaming Millions Go to the 'Ndrangheta: Clash Between Crotone Clan for Control of Slot Machines and Betting

https://livesicilia.it/cocaina-ruolo-ndrangheta-narcotraffico-catania/

Cocaine, the role of the 'ndrangheta in drug trafficking in Catania

CATANIA – Tons of cocaine, controlled by the Calabrians and distributed by the Catanese : this is how the pattern of drug trafficking in the Catania area can be summed up, especially for cocaine. The powder, manufactured mainly in South America, is an absolute monopoly of the Calabrians, who have the contacts and means to import it throughout Italy.

In the Catania area, cocaine arrives in two ways : by sea, in large shipments that then head towards Calabria and from there throughout Italy; and by land, from Calabria to Catania and from there to the rest of Sicily, for retail sale and arrival in the various drug dealing areas.

In the middle is a network of couriers, wholesalers, brokers who do business with both drug trafficking groups and mafia clans . The only fixed point: the rules are set by the Calabrian 'ndrine, who have the monopoly.

Seizures at the port of Catania
The latest operation in chronological order that revealed the contact between Calabrian drug traffickers and the Catania underworld is the one that led to 6 people being sent to prison in March 2025, and which revealed the system of entry of cocaine into the port of Catania for at least three large shipments of more than two hundred kilos in total.

The drugs, as stated in the investigation documents , entered the port of Catania using methods very similar to those used by drug traffickers in other Italian ports, hidden between the metal sheets of containers arriving from South America or inside refrigeration units.

According to the revelations of the collaborator of justice Errico D'Ambrosio , previously part of the Calabrian Molè gang, the 'ndrangheta chooses to have large loads of cocaine arrive from South America to Catania to avoid excessive pressure from the police on the port of Gioia Tauro. Still today one of the major terminals of drug trafficking from Ecuador, Bolivia and other major producers and exporters of cocaine.

Contacts with the Catania clans
D'Ambrosio himself, on the occasion of the arrival of a 110-kilo cocaine shipment, was sent to Catania by his Calabrian contacts, Giuseppe Curciarello and Antonio Scarfò, who had organized the shipment. There was a need to get the cocaine out of the port, and D'Ambrosio came into contact with Nino Vasta, of the Cappello clan.

The connection with a wider network of criminal contacts is extensive , all links in the drug trafficking chain. He manages to access the port thanks to the Pillera/Puntina, who control everything that moves in the port. And they ask between 30 and 40 percent of the value of the drug shipments to have them arrive and exit safely. He speaks directly with Angelo and Melino Sanfilippo, who physically take care of extracting the cocaine from a damaged container.

In other cases, the investigation into Angelo Sanfilippo reveals that , even when the Catania clans are not directly involved, the arrival of drugs in Catania is still controlled by the Calabrian 'ndrine.

"Cement"
At least two other operations that saw large seizures of cocaine in Catania feature Calabrian drug traffickers. In these cases, however, Catania is not a port of entry into the national territory but a sorting hub. The cocaine arrives from Calabria and then heads to other Sicilian cities, or to the drug dealing centers in Catania.

This is the case of the “Cemento” operation of December 2024 in which police investigators, keeping an eye on two different associations dedicated to drug trafficking, came across the character of Rocco Rizzo, involved in the supply and distribution of cocaine in Sicily to various criminal groups.

According to reconstructions, Rizzo made daily trips between Reggio Calabria and Catania , with stops in San Giovanni Galermo, Villaggio Sant'Agata, San Giorgio, via Palermo. All supplies to various drug dealers.

According to the investigations, upstream of Rizzo was Manuel Monorchio, accused of being the coordinator of the couriers and above all of maintaining contact with the large suppliers of cocaine.

Again, the Calabrians: according to the wiretaps , in at least one case Monorchio instructs Rizzo to deliver the money from the sale of 3 kilos of cocaine to his “uncle”, a character who remains nameless in the documents but who operates in the Polistena area, in the province of Reggio Calabria.

"Devotion"
In another case, that of the “Devozione” operation of June 2024 , the two Calabrians Bruno Cidoni and Antonio Pezzano moved to Catania to personally manage the cocaine trafficking, which had become very profitable. The two managed the contacts with the Calabrian suppliers, negotiating the prices, and resold to the various criminal groups in Catania.

As can be read in the documents, Cidoni would have had relations with the 'ndrangheta Francesco Pelle , of the 'ndrina Pelle Gambizza of San Luca. Involved in the purchase of drugs, according to the investigators, would have been Pasquale Zagari. He would have been the intermediary who in Calabria delivered the drugs to the couriers and collected the money to pay the suppliers.

For this group, investigators documented more than 20 trips for the supply of cocaine and marijuana between Catania and Calabria, with total seizures of 11 kilos of drugs. Cidoni and Pezzano acted as wholesalers: they sold to all the clans, without entering into rivalries.

Cocaine seizures at sea
Back to the topic of the route from South America , in the last two years several seizures of enormous quantities of cocaine have occurred in the stretch of sea in front of Catania. In September 2024 a blitz by the Guardia di Finanza allowed the seizure of 540 kilos of cocaine on board a fishing boat.

The sailors were recovering the drug blocks from the sea on board . And investigators suspect that in that case the cargo had been left at sea by a merchant ship for later recovery. A technique known as drop off .

The same procedure occurred in the spring of 2023, when two tons of cocaine were found floating in the stretch of sea between Catania and Syracuse. In both cases, the origin of the drugs was attributed by investigators to South America, an area where the Calabrians have a de facto monopoly on contacts. Among the hypotheses circulating in the spring of 2023, in fact, was that the drugs were not destined to stop in Sicily.

The ship and the fishing boat
Another case, although not in the Catania waters, is particularly well-known . In July 2023, the ship Plutus and the fishing vessel Ferdinando D'Aragona were stopped in the Strait of Sicily. On board the fishing vessel was the largest quantity of cocaine ever seized in a single operation in Italy: five tons, worth one billion euros.

According to investigators, the Plutus was the mother ship, which had arrived from South America , and the fishing vessel had recovered the cargo. Its mission was to return it to its home port. Both the Ferdinando D'Aragona and its captain and crew were originally from Bagnara Calabra, where the fishing vessel had set sail.

Six people were arrested in the latest drug trafficking operation in Catania .

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...na-al-porto-di-gioia-tauro-foto-e-video/

the operation
Blow to the 'ndrangheta: over a ton of cocaine seized at the port of Gioia Tauro – PHOTOS AND VIDEO
The drugs were hidden inside bags of combustible material. On the market they would have generated a revenue of more than 187 million
Published: 03/28/2025 – 7:20

REGGIO CALABRIA The Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza of Reggio Calabria and the personnel of the Customs and Monopolies Agency (Adm) have seized a load of very pure cocaine, with a total weight of 1,170 kilograms , at the Port of Gioia Tauro . The seized drug shipment, once placed on the market in Italy and throughout Europe, would have generated a revenue of over 187 million euros . The military personnel of the Gioia Tauro Group and officials of the local Customs Office inspected 11 suspicious containers , coming from a port in southern Brazil , all headed to a company based in Reggio Calabria , after having made a stopover in Spain.


cocaine joy tauro

English: The blocked containers were first subjected to an x-ray scan, and then to a thorough inspection with the help of the dog units of the Gioia Tauro Guardia di Finanza Group. Following the checks, it was discovered that a thousand blocks of cocaine had been cleverly hidden inside bags of combustible material , in an attempt to bypass the customs and police checks systematically carried out in the port area of ??Gioia Tauro. The documents compiled during the operation were sent to the Public Prosecutor's Office of Palmi for the attention of Prosecutor Emanuele Crescenti and the magistrate on duty, for validation and subsequent continuation of the investigations.
The seizure represents one of the biggest service results achieved at the Port of Gioia Tauro in the last ten years and further demonstrates the notable importance of the Gioia Tauro maritime port, where, since the beginning of the year, over 2 tons of cocaine have been seized. (redaziome@corrierecal.it)

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/pa...-nellappello-di-rinascita-scott-nmny0qbo

Snake relatives in the Mancuso 'ndrangheta family, the story of Pasquale Megna in the appeal of Rinascita Scott

Pasquale Megna
The bomb placed under the house with the consent of his best man. The attempted double murder and the escape to Argentina of Pantaleone the Engineer. The fight with the Campisis and the peace imposed by the boss Luigi. The repentant highlights fractures and disagreements and explains that the good relations in the family were "only a facade"

Eight years after the funeral of Bruzzano boss Mimmo Pompeo: who is his “mysterious” heir
From the shadow of Mimmo Pompeo, the figure of Antonio Bruno, the silent heir of the Milanese 'ndrangheta, emerges in the Antimafia investigations. Eight years after the funeral of the boss attended by a good portion of the Milanese criminal milieu, two identifications have emerged that are a fundamental turning point

It is the morning of February 28, 2017 and in via Antonini, in Milan, the funeral of a 63-year-old man who died prematurely from cancer is being held. Everyone's attention, especially that of the Police, is focused on those present, some of whom have arrived from Calabria, some from abroad, others to "represent" the football fans. The funeral is that of Mario Domenico Pompeo , known as "Mimmo", a historic boss from the Milanese hinterland, linked to the 'ndrangheta families of Crotone. Among those present, the investigators write, is also Antonio Bruno, arrested in today's operation by the Catanzaro DDA and resulting from the Folgore-Blizzard investigation , which has led to 16 other people being sent to prison. The interests of the Crotone 'ndrangheta in the North, with ramifications in Milan and Trentino Alto Adige, are in the sights of the team led by prosecutor Salvatore Curcio.

Pompeo's "alter ego"
Pompeo's "driver and alter ego", Bruno would be the one who after his death would have become his heir, maintaining relationships with the gangs and managing the illicit business. The investigations would have revealed elements that "attested to his full inclusion in the mafia association with a prominent role". In some conversations intercepted by the investigators, Bruno emphasized "how, maintaining a discreet and never ostentatious attitude, he had reached a certain hierarchical level in the criminal environment ". Specifying, in particular, that he had "always sat at the table with the big boys" while avoiding " the cellar drunks ". A low profile that would have helped him to always escape the attention of the police, so much so that even the collaborators of justice, while identifying him as "Toni, Pompeo's right-hand man", always declared not to know his personal details.

The criminal nature recognized by Masciari
Bruno is also mentioned by the other people arrested in the operation, in particular Luigi Masciari, considered a man "at the service of the Arenas" and "formally baptized" by Francesco Antonio Arena. In a conversation he is indicated by him as "the tool to obtain excellent profits and, above all, as Pompeo's right-hand man and driver ". Again Masciari, responding to his interlocutor, rejects the definition of swindler attributed to Bruno, underlining how "he himself was aware of everything that was happening in Milan". A figure therefore considered prominent by the investigators, who after years in the shadow of Mimmo Pompeo had climbed the hierarchy just after his death. As Masciari reiterates once again: referring to Mimmo's "beautiful darling", the one who accompanied him for 20 years and who now "had assumed power over Milan". ( ma.ru. )

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...oss-canadese-rapporti-narcos-ndrangheta/

the capture
Canadian boss with links to 'ndrangheta-linked drug lords arrested in Rome
The blitz conducted by investigators from the VI Police District. He was in the Capital to deal with large shipments of drugs
Published: 03/30/2025 – 9:08

ROME Dave Turmel , the 29-year-old Canadian mafia boss, wanted by all the police forces in the world for drug trafficking and torture, captured by investigators from the VI police district of Casilino, was in the capital to deal with large shipments of drugs with Roman drug lords linked to the ' ndrangheta and the Camorra who supply the drug dealing areas of Tor Bella Monaca.

The investigations
The 29-year-old Canadian drug trafficking boss was tracked down and arrested in Rome by the Flying Squad and Casilino police station. The man was the head of a well-known criminal organization, composed of at least nine other accomplices, based in Quebec, Canada, specialized in the sale of narcotics, especially cocaine and methamphetamine. His presence, inside a hotel in the capital, was reported by an alert sent to the Operations Room of the Police Headquarters by the International Police Cooperation Service, since the criminal was wanted because he had been sentenced to life imprisonment for drug trafficking and to 10 years for assault and personal injury committed to collect money from debtors. The officers raided the holiday home where the 29-year-old was living and he gave them a false passport as identification. Drugs, several SIM cards and a diary reporting, in French and Arabic, various accounting figures were seized from the home.

https://www.lacnews24.it/cronaca/bo...i-narcos-legati-alla-ndrangheta-r02hz2pf

Highly sought after
Canadian Mafia Boss Arrested in Italy: He Was in Rome to Negotiate with Narcos Linked to the 'Ndrangheta
<p>Dave Turmel (photo by Radio Canada)</p>\\n
Dave Turmel (photo from Radio Canada)
Dave Turmel was arrested in the Capital, where he had arrived to negotiate large shipments of drugs. The man who tortured his rivals by amputating their limbs had a $250,000 reward on his head

David Turmel is no doubt a player but no canadian mafia boss. Turmel is def a French surname.

Police seized assets worth 160 million euros from the businessmen Antonio, Giuseppe and Daniele Lobello, linked with the 'Ndrangheta. The confiscation comes after the definitive conviction of the three. Among the confiscated assets are 79 real estate units, 45 plots of land, 80 vehicles, 43 bank accounts and insurance policies; social shares and business complexes.

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...teressi-dei-clan-nel-settore-del-gaming/

“lightning-blizzard”
'Ndrangheta, Papanice «like Corleone» and the clans' interests in the gaming sector
The investigation by the DDA reveals the intention to become involved in the illicit management of vending machines with revenues of "over 300 thousand euros per month"
Published: 03/30/2025 – 6:51

ISOLA CAPO RIZZUTO A turnover of over 300 thousand euros per month, the Papaniciari's domination and the intolerance of the gang. In the Folgore-Blizzard investigation, investigators reconstruct the interests of the Crotone clans in the gaming sector, a vast illegal network of slot machines managed by the 'ndrangheta and which would generate hundreds of thousands of euros on Isola Capo Rizzuto alone. The operation, which began on March 12, led to the arrest of 17 people, mostly linked to the Arena clan. Among those arrested, Antonio Bruno and Luigi Masciari stand out, the latter considered a reference figure for the gang in the North, but who would also have had an interest in entering the business around the Isola slot machines.

The “crossing of the borders” of the Papaniciari
In a conversation between Masciari and two other individuals in 2022, interest in the sector emerges in the territory of Isola Capo Rizzuto, where the Megna clan would however maintain its management. A vast network of illegal machines to be placed in bars and clubs, especially those that can be used with coins, thus leveraging gambling for which many people often fall into gambling addiction. The investigators note that there is " no small amount of intolerance " towards the Megnas, so much so that they complain about the fact that the "Christians were getting rich with the millions of euros on Isola". More explicitly, they underlined how the money from the machines was an income that benefited " the Papaniciari ", then quantifying the revenues " at 300-400 thousand euros per month ". The Papaniciari's "crossing the border", perhaps based on an agreement with the Arenas, was not well received by the interlocutors, who considered "the original agreements to divide up the slot machine sector no longer relevant". With a risky comparison to Sicily in the Cosa Nostra era, it was underlined how " Papanice was a sort of new Corleone , which was influencing Isola Capo Rizzuto in the same way as what happened to the city of Palermo".

Masciari's interest
After a certain period of time, Masciari would have further shown interest in gaming, underlining that «if he had found the platform he would have expelled everyone from the territory», then illustrating what the high profit could be. The machines would have been installed in bars linked to the gang, thus without bothering other groups, even if «today the others were committing abuses». For Masciari however «it was not appropriate to touch the Papaniciari, before directing attention towards the boss», while if someone had interfered in the business «he would have faced them with weapons». ( ma.ru. )

https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...ibili-agli-emissari-della-santa-alianza/

the investigation
How the 'Ndrangheta Conquered Colombia: From "Invisible Drug Traffickers" to the Emissaries of the "Santa Alianza"
Here she would have managed to establish links with the “Gulf clan” and “Los Costeños”. And then the double blow with the arrests of “Rony” and “Dollarino”
Published: 03/31/2025 – 7:02

LAMEZIA TERME His fellow citizens were convinced that he was a builder, active in business and investments in South America. A few days ago they realized that in their community, in reality, there lived a powerful drug trafficker . A true “boss” of the sector, with huge businesses in Dubai and, above all, in Italy.
A nice surprise for the inhabitants of Garagoa , a small town in the south-east of Boyacá , one of the 32 departments of Colombia . The unsuspecting person is Ronald Fernando Acosta Cuesta alias “Rony”, who ended up in handcuffs last March 26. An arrest even announced by the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, on social media, describing “Rony” as a «member of the “Junta del Narcotráfico”».

Unsuspecting citizen
An unexpected neighbor for the residents of the exclusive neighborhood of Santa Barbara, north of Bogotá , where he lived in a luxury apartment, convinced that he was the manager of a construction and aquaculture company created in 2013. The "investigative editorial team" of "El Tiempo" , an important Colombian newspaper (this is a security measure to avoid reprisals) has reconstructed the profile of "Rony" through some information obtained from the authorities: a criminal record of "over 19 years in the service of drug trafficking" and the ability to "lead a transnational network with a range of action in Colombia, Venezuela and Panama". He would also have registered in his name a bar in Garagoa and "La Estampilla", a property in Yopal, the 32nd house in a complex in Garagoa and a plot of land.

According to the first information gathered, therefore, “Rony” would have been in the service of the 'ndrangheta, «transporting cocaine between Calabria and Milan». But there is more. His name, in fact, matches that of another Colombian – same name and surname – linked to a mega-money laundering operation, over 70 million dollars , of illicit and mafia origin, probably connected to international drug trafficking. The authorities are therefore verifying whether it is the same individual , but what the investigators had discovered was a network equipped with “human mules” used to place the money inside ad hoc bags and suitcases with double bottoms, in which they wrapped the banknotes in carbon paper and newspapers to avoid being detected by X-ray machines at airports. A group that also had more than 20 luxury vehicles seized, including a Mercedes Benz van, two Lexuses, two Toyota Land Cruisers, three Toyota Hilux vans, a Nissan Navara van, a BMW and a BMW 3201 car. In any case – as reconstructed by local investigators and reported by the Colombian press – “Rony” continued to buy land in Garagoa, even filing a lawsuit in the Supreme Court for a property.
Gregorini “Dollarino” and the “Holy Alliance”
But why is the arrest of “Rony” so important? An answer has been provided once again by “El Tiempo”. Because according to intelligence sources of the National Police, “invisible drug traffickers” of the Italian mafia operate in Colombia, capable therefore of “managing cocaine trafficking in the shadows” through a network that is part of what has been defined as the “holy alliance” or the “ santa alianza” . In this context, therefore, the important arrest of Emanuele Gregorini known as “Dollarino” fits in , which took place last week in Cartagena, after months of research. According to investigators, it is only one piece of a powerful network that connects Colombia with European organized crime and, in particular, with the Italian mafia. “Dollarino” is considered an “emissary” with the task of reconstructing the routes affected after the capture of two other prominent figures in 2024: Gustavo Nogueira and Luigi Belvedere, both linked to the mafias of Naples and Caserta. Gregorini, according to the investigation by the Milan DDA, would be part of the Campania component, directed by Michele Senese, of the alleged mafia consortium in Milan that emerged from the “Hydra” investigation by the Milan Anti-Mafia District which, in recent days, closed the investigations for 146 suspects.

The 'Ndrangheta conquers Colombia
In short, in Colombia the 'ndrangheta is now a "national emergency". A source told the same Colombian newspaper that it is "considered one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world because it has extended its influence in more than 40 countries, including Colombia. Its operational model is based on sending emissaries who create networks in different regions". Here, the 'ndrangheta and the Italian mafias in general, in order to be successful, have committed to establishing strong ties with local partners. In the Caribbean country, for example, the clans have managed to establish ties with the "clan del Golfo" and "Los Costeños", two of the most active criminal structures on the coast, but they have also identified movements in the Valle del Cauca, Urabá and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, "where they have sought contacts with local groups to secure drug supplies", the newspaper reports. A source further reported: «The relationship is functional for both parties: while the Italian mafias guarantee the flow of drugs towards Europe, the local groups benefit from the experience, logistics and financial resources of the Europeans». ( g.curcio@corrierecal.it )