Trial of the Gela and Niscemi clans, 20 sentences for 140 years imposed
One year and 8 months for former mayor Rizzo, believed to be the instigator of an arson attack. The criminal group was ready to kill an entrepreneur

by Vincenzo Falci

May 13, 2025

Rain of convictions for the Niscemi mafia. Twenty in all for a total of just under 140 years of prison, passing through partial verdicts of not guilty. Only one total acquittal. Thus ended the trial with abbreviated procedure linked to the maxi investigation of the carabinieri "Mondo Opposto", which in December two years ago triggered twenty-nine precautionary measures. The most severe sentence, with 20 years of continuous imprisonment, was inflicted on Alberto Musto, believed to be the head of the Gela district. He is followed by his brother, Sergio Musto, who according to the prosecutors is Alberto's "long arm", with 12 years and 4 months, Andrea Abaco 9 years and 8 months, Francesco Amato 3 years in continuation with sentences issued in Catania, Giuseppe Auteri 10 years and 8 months in addition to a 13,333 euro fine, Luigi and Vincenzo Cannizzaro, 3 years, 4 months and a 4,000 euro fine each, Francesco Cantaro 6 years and 8 months, Mariantonietta Caruso, Alberto Musto's partner, 3 years, 4 months and a 667 euro fine, Francesco Cona 9 years and 4 months, Davide Cusa 2 years and 9 months, Renè Salvatore Di Stefano 9 years and a 9,000 euro fine, Gianni Ferranti one year and 10 months, Giovanni Ferranti 9 years, Giuseppe Manduca 8 years, Francesco Piazza 6 years and a 4,000 euro fine, Carmelo Raniolo 4 years and 8 months. thousand euros in fines, Francesco Alessio Torre 8 years and 4 months, Carlo Zanti 6 years and 8 months and, finally, one year and 8 months for the former mayor of Niscemi, the doctor Paolo Rizzo, believed to be the instigator of an arson attack in a country house.
The only total acquittal was for Viviana Caruso – 4 years and 9 months had been requested for her – sister of the boss's wife.

Gela and Niscemi families were always a bit underrated IMO.

Misilmeri anotherone of those underrated towns of cosa nostra.


Misilmeri Extortion: Three Convictions on Appeal
by Editorial Staff

May 16, 2025

The Court of Appeal of Palermo sentenced Cosimo Sciarabba, son of the boss of Misilmeri Salvatore, to 13 years and 4 months, Alessandro Ravesi, his faithful collaborator, to 17 years, and Salvatore Baiamonte to 10 years and 4 months. A fourth defendant, Benedetto Badalamenti, died during the trial.

The three defendants allegedly asked for protection money from several entrepreneurs - some of whom, accompanied by the anti-racketeering association Addiopizzo to file a complaint, have joined the civil action - and also attempted to take control of several funeral services.

The traditional investigations of the Carabinieri were therefore joined by the reports of the five designated victims of extortion. The investigation that led to the arrest of the accused was also developed thanks to the footage taken with a cell phone by one of the oppressed entrepreneurs. After being approached for the request of "messa a posto" - the payment of the extortion to the clan of the area where some work was to be done -, one of the entrepreneurs managed to immortalize some moments of the negotiation with the request for the payment of the protection money. And the video ended up in the prosecution's records, which also relied on the statements of collaborators of justice, searches and seizures, images from the surveillance cameras of the area, environmental and telephone interceptions, checks on the movements of the suspects thanks to telephone records and position cells.

anti-mafia operation "Cubisia Connection" across the province of Catania, police arrested 14 members of the Santapaola-Ercolano family based in the towns of Acireale and Aci Catena on charges of armed association, drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons and other crimes aggravated by mafia methods.

Misilmeri Mafia, the boss intercepted: «Here there are people who are crazy, as soon as you say no they point a gun at your head»
by Davide Ferrara

May 20, 2025

No help for the families of prisoners, people "totally brain-dead" and violence. Melchiorre Badagliacco explains the state of the art of the Cosa Nostra families operating in the hinterland, who in an important conversation intercepted with Salvatore Baiamonte explained why he had decided for a period to put a stop to his business and active participation within the Misilmeri mafia chessboard. "So I have two children - Badagliacco explained - you see for now someone passes by here and sees us talking to each other and two makes movies, stupid movies you understand ... because I'm not saying that ... I have two children one played football with me, he had reached certain levels because first he took him ... then he ended up in ... after the pandemic started and the movie ended. I stopped because I said now f.. my children, I'm going to screw them.


Baiamonte later explained that, in the event of an arrest, no one would be supported by the mafia family: "If you want to help someone and they split you up (and you make a mistake, ed.)... they leave you in the middle of the sh..."

The boss then shared the opinion that the new mafia no longer had the mentality of the past and that the new recruits had no respect for the older members: «There is no longer that mentality of before.... before there were Christians ca pila... today a ci su chiu (there are no more, ed. ). Here we are all thirty-year-olds and when the fury (madness, ed. ) comes, they come to you... "you have to give me this!". As soon as you say no, they take a gun, point it at our heads and what do we do then?... Why do we reason like this? I have never been used to reasoning like this. Things are reasoned... they become clear. Here there are people who are crazy, people who are crazy, are we joking? People who don't know you, come and get you... "you have to do what I say!" or they say "who the fuck are you with?"».

23 May 1992 !

They will not give up ! But time is running out while there are now still people alive.

The Capaci massacre, the PM De Luca: «All lines of investigation are open, even on mysteries»
Investigations on 3 DNA samples extracted from evidence at the site of the explosion

by Editorial Staff

May 21, 2025

"All lines of investigation are open at this stage, especially those that in journalistic terms we can define as the mysteries of the massacres. There is a strenuous effort to verify any corner that has remained unexplored and to have the awareness that everything possible has really been done". This was stated by the prosecutor of Caltanissetta, Salvatore De Luca, interviewed by Tgr Sicilia, on the Capaci massacre of 23 May 1992 in which judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and the men of his escort died.

Among the investigations underway, those on the three DNA profiles, of two men and a woman, which were extrapolated on some evidence found at the site of the explosion - a pair of latex gloves, a working torch written with the two batteries and a tube of mastic - kept in the Palace of Justice of Caltanissetta, shown in the report of Tgr Sicilia, which could belong to bomb disposal experts still unidentified. The profiles do not correspond to those of three suspects on whom a spotlight had been turned by the Prosecutor's Office. Their position has been archived.

Major Anti-Drug Operation in Palermo: 22 Arrests, Drug Dealing Networks Based in Ballarò, Villaggio Santa Rosalia and Brancaccio Dismantled

A complex operation by the State Police has dealt a heavy blow to drug trafficking in the Sicilian capital. The Judge for Preliminary Investigations of Palermo has issued precautionary measures against twenty-two individuals, held to be responsible in various capacities for association aimed at drug trafficking and drug dealing.

The first line of investigation revealed the existence of a cocaine and hashish import channel in Sicily. The stuff was sold in Palermo, Caltanissetta, Trapani, Syracuse and Agrigento . The criminal groups that allegedly managed the trafficking had their operational base in the Palermo districts of Ballarò, Brancaccio and Villaggio Santa Rosalia.
One of the main suspects had transformed his home, where he was held under house arrest, into a drug trafficking hub . During the investigation, it was discovered that a branch of the main group had broken away to activate a supply channel for hashish and cocaine from Naples.

These are those arrested on the orders of the preliminary investigations judge Lirio Conti: Giuseppe Bronte, 30 years old, Alessandro Scelta, 30 years old, Vittorio Di Maio, 33 years old, Giuseppe Viviano, 30 years old, Calogerino Sacheli, 48 years old, Luca Foti, 49 years old, Aniello Schiattarella, 60 years old, Vincenzo Arcoleo, 72 years old, Emanuele Arcoleo, 48 years old, Luigi Arcoleo, 41 years old, Gaetano Viviano, 41 years old.

House arrest for Emanuele Del Noce, 34 years old, Minfa Rita Arcoleo, 35 years old, Mirko Viviano, 32 years old.

The second order hits the organization that operated in Brancaccio, where two large cocaine depots were identified. In total, the police officers under the command of the Mobile director, Antonio Sfameni, seized 11 kilos, in addition to 56,000 euros in cash.

In the raid in Brancaccio, Giuseppe Catanzaro, 49 years old, Stefano Costa, 30 years old, Antonino Fragali, 43 years old, Salvatore Inzerra, 57 years old, Salvatore Schirò, 37 years old, Matteo Tsta, 41 years old, ended up in prison. House arrest for Giuseppe Catanzaro, 30 years old, and Salvatore Lo Re, 34 years old.

The Santapaola-Ercolanos and the “drug routes”: from Librino to Acireale

CATANIA – Acireale like San Pietro Clarenza. The Villa Comunale, the “ecological villa” of Aci Catena, like the drug dealing squares of via Capo Passero or of Villaggio Sant'Agata in Catania, or like the main streets of Randazzo, Siracusa, Ragusa, Enna or various squares of Messina. Different territories but two common denominators: drugs and the Santapaola-Ercolano clan.


The operation “Cubisia Connection”, conducted by the Carabinieri of Acireale and the provincial command of Catania, under the coordination of the Dda, opens new glimpses into what is now a sad picture with dark colors . A very off-key refrain that marks the fate of young people, adults and many, too many, families. Cocaine, marijuana and crack, in fact, now enter directly into homes.

The Triumvirate and the Organization

The criminal organization would have had three people to coordinate, in fact, everything. It emerges from the investigation that the purchase, transportation, detention, according to the investigators, would have been taken care of by three arrested, nicknamed "Melo Box", "Otto" and "Tigna", aka Carmelo and Ottaviano Grasso and Salvatore Scalia respectively.

They also took care of the deliveries and supplies of the drug dealing areas controlled by the organization, maintaining contact with the suppliers and giving instructions to the collaborators who, on a daily basis, would have carried out the task of being couriers, retail de, would have carried out the task of being couriers, retail dealers or lookouts, taking shifts and even using "company" cell phones. A sort of limited liability mafia company, a mafia 'connection' in fact.

The interrogations and the investigation

The interrogations are underway. The last to appear before the investigating judge will be the two for whom the judge's measure has only ordered a ban on residence in Acireale with the obligation to report to the police. The investigation, obviously, is still wide open.

After the interrogations, during which the arrested theoretically have the right to remain silent , their lawyers must decide whether to ask the investigating judge to annul the order; or alternatively, more likely, to challenge the order before the Catania Court of Liberty.

The case of two months ago in San Pietro

The real leaders of the Catania mafia know this well – those who remain behind the scenes, hidden in the newly built buildings built thanks to the protection money – today the Santapaolas are practically gambling the survival of Cosa Nostra. And this is because with drugs they manage to keep the clans active, the common coffers open, and the 'salaries' to the detained men of the clan and their families flourishing .


The news in recent weeks has also reported cases in which drugs, rather than a business, are a tool. It happens in San Pietro Clarenza, where the clan - which would refer to an alleged boss in his seventies, a butcher by profession - does not operate directly in drug trafficking. Here, however, according to investigators, Santonocito would have had a loyalist who took care of the rounds. The objective? Control the territory, not allow entry to other groups.

The mussi 'i ficurinia in the territory of Randazzo

The trial of the alleged Sangani clan from Randazzo, beheaded by the Carabinieri in the “Terra bruciata” investigation, is still underway in Catania . There too, the mafia handled drug trafficking with meticulous organization. In that case, the bosses were not called Santapaola, but Laudani. And in any case, whether the local cell answered directly to the Santapaolas or indirectly to them, through the so-called 'mussi i ficurinia' – who in any case then depend on the Santapaolas – drugs are a business that should not be missed at all costs.


The same, of course, applies to the metropolitan city. Here, even fierce, bloody clashes have been recorded , for the conquest or maintenance of control in the drug dealing areas. In via Capo Passero – where one of the most important is located – but also in other areas of the city, in recent years there have been no ambushes, injuries, demonstrations, or gunshots.

Drug trafficking in neighboring provinces

Numerous operations by the Carabinieri and the police have revealed that in other provinces of the Island the substance does not change. The drugs arrive from Catania, from the Santapaolas or from their different twins, namely the 'stiddari' of the Cappello clan. The drugs arrive from Catania to Enna, where the pushers of Leonforte, Agira, Regalbuto, Catenanuova, Enna, Piazza Armerina , all get their supplies in via Zia Lisa or in Librino.


The same goes for the provinces of Messina, Ragusa and Siracusa . Almost zero, for some years now, are the trips – documented by arrests by the police – of drug couriers to Palermo (in Piazza Guadagna), another area of ??origin of drugs that until 2010 was considered a reference point for many local dealers. The 'drug routes', for fifteen years now, say that in this part of Sicily, today, Catania is in charge. The Santapaolas are in charge .

https://livesicilia.it/santapaola-rotte-droga-acireale-librino/

https://www.stilemargherita.it/mafi...udienze-mostrano-unalleanza-inquietante/


Mafia, Camorra and 'Ndrangheta United: 143 Defendants in 24 Hearings Show a Disturbing Alliance

Mafia, 401 Municipalities dissolved from 1991 to April 2025: Sicily among the regions at high risk
by Editorial Staff

May 22, 2025

From 1991 to April 19, 2025, there were 401 decrees dissolving municipalities due to mafia infiltration: on average one per month. This is what can be read in the Avviso Pubblico report, presented today in Naples.
72% of the municipalities dissolved due to mafia infiltration have a population of less than 20 thousand inhabitants. 96% of the dissolutions are concentrated in four regions: Calabria, Campania, Sicily, Puglia. In almost all the reports analyzed, the involvement, in various capacities, of mafia clans in electoral campaigns emerges: an attention aimed at obtaining or consolidating relationships with future administrations with a view to ensuring economic advantages. The ways in which this manifests itself are different: for example, there are episodes of intimidation against other candidates, lists signed also by individuals close to mafia organizations, situations in which the request for support to members of the clan comes directly from some candidates, cases in which the bargaining chip takes the form above all of hiring and job opportunities.

Mafia. Dia: "Cosa nostra today without a consolidated leadership"

Among seized and confiscated assets, in 2024 the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate
has stolen more than 250 million euros from the hands of the mafia, 110 million of which from Cosa Nostra. This is one of the most significant data contained in the annual report that the Minister of the Interior Piantedosi will present to Parliament and that the head of the DIA Michele Carbone illustrated in a press conference held at Palazzo Grazioli.

On the Sicilian Mafia, the DIA reports that "the prolonged absence of a solid and recognized leadership has determined cyclical changes and attempts at stabilization between the new and old generations, configuring a coordination model based on the sharing of guidelines and on an 'inter-mandate' operational management. Considering the complex relationships between the families of Palermo and western Sicily and the other clans present in eastern Sicily, the current balances - says the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate - are configured as 'variable geometry' structures, due to the fluidity of the criminal leadership and the illicit businesses that are the object of dispute, elements that generate alliances and truces between the different clans".

Mafia, the map of the active districts in Palermo: the clans cooperate with each other
The DIA report on the activities carried out in 2024. In the absence of a leader, Palermo returns to the center of gravity of the new Cosa Nostra structures

by Fabio Geraci

May 28, 2025

It no longer rules with force, but with balance. It does not rely only on terror, but on money, influence, consensus. The new Cosa Nostra, which emerges from the 2024 Report of the Anti-Mafia Investigative Directorate, is a complex system, without a visible leader but with many centers of power. An organization that "responds with a timely desire for reorganization" and that continues to influence the economy, the territory, politics and even prison. It is in Palermo that the most evident transformations are observed even if, throughout Sicily, the mafia network adapts, resists and in some way renews itself.

In the capital, the clans no longer have a single leader but cooperate according to a structure that the DIA defines as "intermandamental", the result of the "prolonged absence of a solid and recognized leadership". The families, the investigators explain, seek a form of stability between the new and old generations through the division of guidelines and the sharing of operational choices. It is a mafia that mediates more than commands, that tends to manage rather than try to impose its business and that has found in this flexibility a new way to exercise its power.

The Porta Nuova, Pagliarelli, Tommaso Natale, Resuttana, Noce and Brancaccio districts remain fully active, without internal conflicts but with consolidated agreements. As in the case of the Porta dei Greci 2 operation that dismantled a network in Vucciria: ten arrests for drug trafficking of "picciotti" believed to be close to the Porta Nuova district, but without them being charged with the mafia aggravation. A detail that confirms the low profile with which Cosa Nostra manages part of its business today.

The full article in the Giornale di Sicilia on newsstands and in the digital edition

From drugs to protection rackets, here is the financial engine of Cosa Nostra
by Editorial Staff

May 28, 2025

Drug trafficking remains the most powerful financial engine of Cosa Nostra. According to the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate, the Sicilian organization has "established relationships and forms of cooperation with the 'Ndrangheta, the Camorra and foreign entities" to fuel the flow of cocaine and hashish to Sicily.

The preferred routes pass through Spain, Belgium, Germany and South America. And in Palermo, the neighborhoods of Brancaccio, Ciaculli, Corso dei Mille, Porta Nuova and Vucciria remain the points of reference for dealing and sorting.

Alongside drug trafficking, the second pillar of Cosa Nostra is the control of the legal economy. "The persuasive methods avoid violence - explains the DIA - limiting themselves to the imposition of goods, services and labor at increased prices". Entrepreneurs are not always unaware victims.

The full article in the Giornale di Sicilia on newsstands and in the digital edition.