WOW big move from 'Ndrangheta to the Camorra !

Nicola Gratteri leaves Calabria and says: "We could have done more". Naples, the new place of work in the largest prosecutor's office in Europe, awaits him and many already have the knife between their teeth. De Magistris , a former magistrate and politician who knows Calabria and Campania, sent him his advice from the television studios of our Corriere: " Naples should not be judged, you have to understand it " and, complete with a quote from Pino Daniele, invited him to listen to the city . Gratteri ( in the cover photo of Agi) in the new headquarters he does not find the Calabrian fans. Il Fatto Quotidiano published only one letter to publish a headline in support. In Naples the widespread common feeling today is to say enough to "Gomorrah" and "Mare Fuori" to bring out the positive feeling that exists in the capital of the South.
And it is clear that the challenge is difficult from the document of the Criminal Chamber of Naples which clearly stated in black and white the arrival of the new prosecutor. If you read it carefully, it is also something more: " we would have preferred a different profile, less operational/military since the problem - in Naples perhaps more than elsewhere - is not making a clean sweep of the past, but rather the ability to understand and govern the complexity.

Operation against the 'Ndrangheta, 28 arrests and seizures of assets
In Reggio Calabria investigated for mafia, attempted murders, extortion
REGGIO CALABRIA , 11 October 2023, 12:07

ANSA editorial team

The State Police, with the coordination of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Reggio Calabria, has been carrying out various precautionary measures and seizures of assets since the early hours of today against individuals under investigation for mafia association and other crimes, believed to be affiliated with the Ndrangheta gangs Libri and Tegano-De Stefano of Reggio Calabria.

The operation takes place under the coordination of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Reggio Calabria, directed by the Prosecutor Giovanni Bombardieri.

In Reggio Calabria and in other Italian cities the police are carrying out numerous restrictive measures ordered by the investigating judge against subjects suspected, for various reasons, and at the stage of the proceedings in the preliminary investigation phase, of crimes of mafia association, extortion, attempted murder, illegal possession of weapons, possession and dealing of narcotic substances.
The investigation conducted by the Flying Squad, in particular, targeted alleged exponents of the Libri and Tegano-De Stefano gangs in the central district of Reggio Calabria, between which there was a division agreement for the extortions to be carried out in some areas of the city.
At the same time as the execution of the restrictive measures, the preventive seizure of 11 companies attributable to entrepreneurs who are, however, accused of the crime of external complicity in a mafia association is underway.
A boss detained in prison was still able to communicate with the outside world thanks to the use of cleverly modified mobile phones and introduced into prisons with the collaboration of his son. This is one of the aspects that emerged from the "Act Fourth" investigation conducted by the Reggio Calabria Flying Squad with the coordination of the DDA led by Giovanni Bombardieri, which this morning led to the arrest of 28 subjects - 23 in prison and 5 under house arrest - and to the seizure of 11 companies attributable to entrepreneurs under investigation for external complicity in a mafia association. Those arrested are accused, for various reasons, of mafia association, external complicity in
mafia association, extortion, attempted murder, illegal possession of weapons, possession and dealing of narcotic substances and more.
The investigations constitute the continuation of the Theorema - Roccaforte, Libro Nero and Malefix operations, which over time revealed the criminal structures and dynamics of the Libri, De Stefano and Tegano gangs. Today's investigation, based on telephone, environmental and electronic interceptions, and on the declarations of an entrepreneur who was a victim of extortion, made it possible to ascertain the continuing operations of the Libri gang not only in the historic stronghold in the Cannavò district and surrounding areas, but also its influence in the neighborhoods of Condera, Reggio Campi, Modena, Ciccarello, San Giorgio, in the hamlets of Gallina, Mosorrofa, Vinco and Pavigliana as well as in the central area of ??Reggio Calabria, the latter portion of the territory within which they would be in force sharing agreements with the De Stefano and the Tegano families.
Furthermore, the investigation revealed the operation, within the Libri clan, of a further clan, that of San Cristoforo, a territory adjacent to that of Spirito Santo. As proof of the charisma and significant criminal relations of the Libri gang, the investigation revealed solid relationships with the 'ndrangheta branches of both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian districts.
The crime of external complicity is accused of some entrepreneurs who, according to the accusation, have established a real synallagmatic relationship with the gang, paying sums of money or hiring reported personnel in exchange for protection and help in acquiring orders and expanding their activities.

The investigation also partially shed light on the attempted murder committed on 17 May 2017 in Reggio Calabria against Antonio Baggetta. For this reason, two individuals were identified who would have had the task of procuring and hiding the weapons and the motorcycle, later found and seized by police investigators, used to carry out the crime.

'Ndrangheta is sometimes called Fibia, where did this originated and what does it mean?

I have heard it before , but i have no idea what it means.

I only found this.

What is a fibia?
Fibula (Calf Bone): Anatomy, Function & Common Conditions
The fibula is your calf bone. It's the smaller of the two bones in your lower leg. It gives your calf its structure and forms the top of your ankle. Your fibula also supports lots of important muscles, tendons, nerves and ligaments.

Europe
Italy arrests 58 suspected of drug trafficking via Chinese money brokers
Reuters
October 17, 202311:42 AM GMT+2Updated an hour ago

MILAN, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Italy's tax police said on Tuesday that 58 people had been arrested in Italy and Spain on suspicion of international drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud facilitated by unlicensed Chinese money brokers.

A network supplying around 30 tonnes of hashish and marijuana had been uncovered, police said, adding some 42 million euros ($44.2 million) had changed hands in the process among a group of Italian and Spanish suspects, assisted by others of Albanian and Chinese origin.

Investigations had focused on the use of shadow banking services run by ethnic Chinese individuals, who collected money in Italy to be transferred to Spain in return for a commission, the Guardia di Finanza police said.

The Italian authorities have highlighted the growing role played by such money brokers to conceal cross-border payments by drug cartels, mirroring an issue their U.S. counterparts have faced in connection with Latin American narcotics groups.

The arrests on Tuesday were made across cities in northern Italy, including Milan and Turin, as well as further south in Rome and Catania in Sicily, as well as in Spain.

Police teams using sniffer dogs were also searching 96 locations in parts of Italy, neighbouring Switzerland and Spain.

($1 = 0.9494 euros)

Reporting by Alvise Armellini and Federico Maccioni, Writing by Keith Weir Editing by Gianluca Semeraro, Alison Williams and Bernadette Baum

To paraphrase Frank from the movie Scarface: "The problem is not how much money you'll be making, but what to do with all the fucking cash!"

That's the level these guys are on.

I hate when they don't name anyone. If this was American journalism, every single person would be named, along with their nicknames, organization they belong to, and where they fall in the pecking order.

Anti-drug blitz in the Gioia Tauro plain, 11 arrests
Carabinieri attack the trafficking of cocaine, marijuana and crack
REGGIO CALABRIA , 20 October 2023, 11.25am

ANSA editorial team

An anti-drug operation began last night in Gioia Tauro where 11 people were arrested by the Carabinieri who carried out a precautionary custody order issued by the investigating judge at the request of the Palmi Prosecutor's Office, directed by Emanuele Crescenti.

Nine suspects ended up in prison and two under house arrest.

The raid by the Carabinieri, as part of the "Smart delivery" investigation, affected not only the province of Reggio Calabria but also those of Benevento, Vibo Valentia and Syracuse.
The suspects are accused of illicit production, trafficking and possession of narcotic or psychotropic substances.
According to investigations by the Carabinieri of the Gioia Tauro company, between August 2020 and June 2022, a group of individuals originating from some municipalities in the Piana, using a well-tested and tested system, were responsible for managing, in various locations, the dealing in cocaine, marijuana and crack.
During the lockdown period due to the Covid emergency, drugs were delivered to homes in the Piana di Gioia Tauro. Hence the name - Smart delivery - given to the operation conducted today by the carabinieri who arrested eleven people who were the recipients of a precautionary custody order issued by the investigating judge at the request of the Palmi prosecutor Emanuele Crescenti.
There are a total of 23 suspects, accused of various capacities of production, trafficking and possession of narcotic or psychotropic substances. 9 ended up in prison: Domenico Laganà, 28 years old, resident in Gioia Tauro, Antonio Paladino (41) from Rosarno, Francesco Cosoleto (45) from Gioia Tauro, Rosario Caminiti (42) from Rosarno, Michele Pronestì (48 years) from Polistena , Mario Martorano (26) from Rosarno, Fortunato Martorano (24) from Rosarno, Domenico Scarmato (55) from Rosarno and Andrea Facciolo (22) from Rosarno. Alessandro Laversa (42) from Rizziconi, and Antonio Larosa (45) from Taurianova ended up under house arrest.
The investigation is inspired by some information collected in 2020 by a patrol of the Carabinieri, during an intervention regarding a family dispute: in the circumstance, the carabinieri of the Gioia Tauro company realized that the dispute arose from a debt linked to the drug trafficking. “I'm coming with a beer but no wine.” "If you want to come by, I can give you a beer." These are the encrypted dialogues deciphered by the carabinieri who, thanks to wiretaps and traditional investigative activities, managed to reconstruct numerous episodes of possession and sale of cocaine, marijuana and crack. The investigation by the Palmi Prosecutor's Office has turned a fate on two "drug-dealing squares", one in Rosarno and one in Gioia Tauro. Furthermore, some "safe places" were identified where the suspects kept the drugs in Rizziconi.
With more than one hundred documented drug dealing incidents, the prosecutors found a large turnover of business and customers, managed by subjects believed to be close to the 'Ndrangheta circles who used a series of expedients to avoid checks by the police forces, for example by registering the cell phone cards to foreign citizens or even to non-existent people. It was not the customer who went to the drug dealer, but after having agreed, even by telephone or via social media, the delivery of the drugs took place directly at home.

Furthermore, the Prosecutor's Office charged one of the suspects, Antonio Paladino, with the crime of death as a consequence of another crime since, in 2021, a 56-year-old died after having purchased from him and subsequently taken intravenously, 82.4% pure cocaine.
Finally, during the investigations, a real arsenal ready for use was seized inside an apparently abandoned house. In fact, inside a plastic bucket, well hidden by several layers of cellophane, an Uzi machine gun was found, perfectly oiled and equipped with magazines and bullets, an improvised homemade device and 4 kilos of gunpowder.

Drugs, Covid scams and ecobonuses to finance the 'Ndrangheta: 18 arrests in Lombardy
The suspects (many already in prison) linked to the Morabito, Bruzzaniti and Palamara clans. At the center of the investigation are the doctor, son of the boss, and a warehouse in Paderno Dugnano
The carabinieri involved during the investigations

Monza, 24 October 2023 – Criminal association aimed at drug trafficking, extortion and the commission of economic-financial crimes whose proceeds, as explained in a note, "were intended to facilitate the activities of the ' Ndrangheta .

On this basis, the agents of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Milan and the Carabinieri of Monza, with the support of the Investigative Unit of the Penitentiary Police, carried out, upon delegation from Dia itself, an order against eighteen people under investigation for the aforementioned crimes . .

Seven of the 18 suspects are already in prison, another four are under house arrest, three with an obligation to stay and four with an obligation to report to the judicial police and, according to the investigators, they would be attributable to the "Morabito-Palamara-Bruzzaniti gang" linked to the ' Calabrian ndrangheta.

The Calabrian doctor
The investigation, coordinated by prosecutors Sara Ombra and Paolo Biondolillo, began in 2019 and involved 68 subjects , divided into two criminal associations which, although "operationally separated by matter" (on the one hand the commission of economic crimes - financial, on the other hand, drug trafficking and extortion), were both directed by a Calabrian doctor, collaborator of some Milanese RSAs, already definitively convicted of drug trafficking and, above all, son of the historic head of the aforementioned gang, currently detained under the 41-bis regime following an irrevocable conviction for mafia association.

The first group
The first group created 'paper mill' companies specialized in issuing false invoices , aimed at providing coverage for the non-existent purchases of goods and services, with the sole aim of creating, in favor of third parties, the availability "under the table" of huge amounts sums of money, thus removed from any form of control and monitoring.

During the activities, it was possible to seize approximately 50 thousand euros in cash, and reconstruct the sale of false guarantee policies, formally issued by one of the largest national banking groups, in favor of businesses and individual firms - in one case in favor of businesses operating in the gaming and betting sector - who would never have obtained them as they lacked the necessary financial solidity.

Covid contributions
The operation, which blocked the disbursement of Covid benefits of 2 million euros, for which the required (false) documentation had already been filed, led to the emergence of a real consultancy system to offer "professional" services ” for financial crimes: counterfeit financial statements, fictitious increases in share capital, false tax credits, false guarantees as well as the creation of paper companies to hide large sums in black money or to exploit compensation during the pandemic period.

Rivers of drugs
The second of the two criminal groups was responsible for several crimes of importation, purchase, transport and sale on the market of Northern Italy (Milan, Turin and other provinces) and in Calabria, of hundreds of kilos of narcotic substances (cocaine, heroin , marijuana and hashish ) as well as managing a debt collection activity using the typical methods used by mafia organisations, also resorting, when necessary, to the use of weapons.

For this purpose, the association had logistical and operational bases, where the members could meet and store the narcotic, such as a warehouse in Paderno Dugnano ; mobile phones, registered to third parties, changed frequently and used for communications relating to the illicit activity; cars used to transport the narcotic, often specifically rented for this purpose or made available by one of the suspects.

The investigation also made it possible to reconstruct the foreign supply channels and, on the occasion of one of the intercepted sales, it was possible to arrest the courier red-handed and seize 5 kilograms of heroin, initially destined for the Calabrian market.

The markets
The drugs also came from Spain , Austria and Albania and the opening of a sales channel for cocaine coming from Peru and Brazil and destined for members of a well-known 'Ndrangheta family was also verified.

Searches are still underway in the provinces of Milan, Monza Brianza, Pavia, Varese, Novara, Alessandria, Messina and Foggia, in homes and businesses resulting in the availability of the subjects involved, also with the supp

The well-known doctor/gang boss is Giovanni Morabito , a 59-year-old doctor in a Milanese RSA, a son of the legendary 'Ndrangheta boss Giuseppe “u tiradrittu” Morabito of Africo !

He was already convinced for drug trafficking , whole family of Giuseppe Morabito is in the mafia.

The Morabito clan is IMO the most powerful clan they have also a strong base in Sicily.

'u tiradrittu ("the straightshooter") is already 89 and still at 41-bis I think.

Anti-mafia operation in Milan: 11 arrests, "No pacts between gangs"
NEWS
Oct 25, 2023 - 11:25 am
This was stated by the investigating judge of Milan Tommaso Perna, who rejected over 140 requests for arrests for as many suspects. The judge, in fact, only ordered prison for 11 people, but not for mafia association and only for other crimes. The DDA, therefore, decided, however, to close the investigations, still contesting the "alliance" between the three mafias and to appeal to the Review for the rejected requests for precautionary custody

There is no "pact" between the three mafias, Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta and Camorra in Lombardy, where an operation by the Carabinieri of Milan and Varese is underway which is leading to the execution of eleven detention orders in prison and the seizure of assets with a total value of over 225 million euros. This was stated by the investigating judge of Milan Tommaso Perna, who rejected over 140 requests for arrests for as many suspects. The judge, in fact, only ordered prison for 11 people, but not for mafia association and only for other crimes. The DDA, therefore, decided, however, to close the investigations, still contesting the "alliance" between the three mafias and to appeal to the Review for the rejected requests for precautionary custody.

The details of the investigation
The Milan prosecutor Marcello Viola also spoke about the "alliance" between the mafias in Lombardy last August during a hearing at the anti-mafia commission. Recent investigations, he said, "have highlighted stable and long-lasting agreements between the 'Ndrangheta, Sicilian crime and the Camorra", a phenomenon which is "particularly alarming as it gives solidity to a transversal network" which operates above all in the "money laundering sector". ". Mafia dynamics which, Viola explained, "define a network that is based on concrete interests". The new investigation, conducted by the Carabinieri and coordinated by the DDA prosecutor Alessandra Cerreti, focuses precisely on this alleged "pact" between mafias, but the accusations of mafia association were all dismantled in the order of investigating judge Perna. The Milanese DDA is now focusing everything on the Review and will try to bring the over 150 suspects to trial, after having closed the investigations with documents notified today, at the same time as the 11 arrests were made. The investigating judge's order had been filed in recent weeks and the investigators, however, decided to resort to the Review first and to close the investigations at the same time as the execution of the few arrests accepted by the judge. In the last half-yearly report the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate had written, among other things, that in Lombardy the "mafia associations would have 'come to terms' to ensure affiliated companies a sort of rotation in the assignment of public contracts, piloting the offers from present and also containing offers that reduce the associated costs".

The investigating judge of Milan Tommaso Perna, who rejected over 140 requests for arrests for as many suspects, excluding links with the mafia.

Among the more than 150 people under investigation in the Milan DDA’s investigation into the “Lombardy mafia system” is also Paolo Aurelio Errante Parrino, who, according to the investigators, was the “connection point” between the “mafia system” in Lombardy, i.e. the alleged agreement between the three mafias, and Matteo Messina Denaro,

According to the Carabinieri’s investigations, Parrino would have been “the point of reference for the Castelvetrano District in Northern Italy”, maintaining “relationships with the top management of Cosa Nostra, in particular, with Messina Denaro”.

Where in Sicily?

I know they had very strong presence in Messina, huge influence there. Together with sicilian mafia they planted bombs in university of Messina and kidnapped some professors back in 2001. There is probably some drug trafficking going on there today, Messina being right across Calabria.

Yes in Messina. On 24 March 2006 Brunetta Morabito, niece of the boss Giuseppe Morabito , was hit by three bullets in the center of Messina . Her brother shot her.

In Rome they have links to Sicilian boss Giovanni De Carlo.
In the north with Sicilian families Fiandaca, Morso, Rinzivillo and Emmanuello.

Is Giovanni De Carlo still free? He is one of the top players in Rome for like 10 years or more.

Yes.

Who's in charge in Rome? This is the question that Leonardo Diotallevi asks his father Ernesto, former head of the Banda della Magliana . " Theoretically it's me...but materially Giovanni counts ." Giovanni de Carlo , a cheerful face and lover of the good life. And, continues Leonardo, in Italy? Who's in charge in Italy? " Riina , who do you want it to be? Riina ."

De Carlo drove around Rome at the wheel of his Ferrari, causing his lawyer many worries: " Then , you mustn't touch the Ferrari ." He was unemployed, "Giovannone", but an unemployed man who lived the life of a nabob: among classy clubs and photos taken together with celebrities (like the one that sees him portrayed together with Belen Rodriguez and Stefano De Martino). He had made, as the investigating judge Flavia Costantini states, " crime a life choice . A primary character in the Roman dome, a shadow, esteemed for his subtle way of moving in the illicit economy ".

However, he hadn't been seen around for a long time. Disagreements with Massimo Carminati , most likely. Someone who " when there's money to be made, he makes money, when there's money to be made... the problem is everyone's problem ". After all, De Carlo was now aiming high: he aimed to be the undisputed leader of Roman crime.

''Nomadic Cosca'' in Catanzaro: 82 investigated for mafia association
AMTwo thousand October 26, 2023
According to the investigators, some of them have the talent of 'Santista'
There are 82 suspects who have been notified of the closure of investigations linked to the investigation which implicates the alleged nomad (gypsy) gang of Catanzaro on charges of mafia association. For the first time the DDA of the regional capital has identified members of the Roma crime group as affiliated to the 'Ndrangheta. The investigations of the Catanzaro flying squad, in fact, would have monitored affiliation rites and relationships with other gangs such as that of Isola Capo Rizzuto, Cutro and other historic clans operating in the capital. According to the accusation, Catanzaro would have passed from the control of the Crotone 'Ndrangheta to the nomadic Bevilacqua-Passalacqua gang made up of individuals who received the 'baptisms' of 'Ndrangheta. Among the contested charges, mafia association, drug trafficking, extortion, possession of weapons, failure to comply with the sentence. The promoter of the Bevilacqua-Passalacqua clan is considered to be Luciano Bevilacqua , known as 'stinker' with the rank of 'Santista'. Also holding the Saint's 'dowry' is Massimo Berlingere , known as 'musciu', nephew of the deceased boss Domenico Bevilacqua . The deputy prosecutor Giancarlo Novelli and the deputies Paolo Sirleo and Debora Rizza also indicated Luigi Vecceloque Pereloque , Massimo Bevilacqua , Vincenzo Berlingeri , Domenico Passalacqua born in 1973 and Ernesto Bevacqua as leaders of the association.

Freemasonry and the mafia, what the Gotha trial taught us/The analysis of the British historian John Dickie

“The Gotha trial, which ended in the first instance in Reggio Calabria (and for which two years later, the reasons were released last August, ed.), is one of the most important trials against the 'Ndrangheta in recent times. It is important, in part, because it is intended to shed procedural light on one of the most controversial aspects of the history of the Mafia over the last forty years: the relationship between organized crime and Freemasonry ." This is supported by the British historian and academic, expert on Italy, John Dickie in an article published in "Domani" on 15 June 2022, of which we reproduce some excerpts, underlining how to date "the results of the investigations by the police and of the judiciary on the mafia-crime relationship had been disappointing" and citing as an emblematic case the 1992 investigation by the former Palmi prosecutor Agostino Cordova , archived by the GIP of Rome because, Dickie recalls in the article, "it refers more to "collective imagination" on Freemasonry than to concrete evidence". So much so that in 2021, Cordova will lose, the scholar points out, "a civil case initiated against the Grand Orient of Italy, which had defined the investigation as "a witch hunt that ended in a dead end"." .

Dickie then reconstructs the Gotha trial, "which represents the confluence of four separate investigations, starting from apparently more solid documentary bases, even if difficult to compose into a coherent framework" and proposes testimonies such as those of the Limbadi boss Pantaleone Mancuso, according to he declares : «The 'Ndrangheta no longer exists! …once upon a time… there was the 'Ndrangheta!… the 'Ndrangheta is part of Freemasonry!' Would Freemasonry control the 'Ndrangheta, then? Instead, the testimony of the former Grand Master of the Grand Orient, Giuliano Di Bernardo, proposes a diametrically opposite scenario: that is, a Freemasonry controlled by the 'Ndrangheta. According to what he was told by an important Calabrian freemason in the early 1990s, the 'Ndrangheta had infiltrated 28 out of 32 Calabrian lodges.

There are other worrying testimonies like these, but together they do not help to clarify the panorama, even when they come from justice collaborators deemed credible elsewhere. There has been a lot of talk about "deviant", "secret", "occult", or "covered" lodges, but with little indication of their actual functioning.

THE NEW DIRECTORY OF THE 'NDRANGHETA
In the end, the judges of the Gotha trial concluded (at least at first instance) that there is a new directorate of the 'Ndrangheta, a sort of apical business committee made up of "link subjects" between the world of the 'Ndrangheta and that of the institutions. A highly significant procedural result, therefore. But where did Freemasonry go? The judges' response, a response with which PM Giuseppe Lombardo does not disagree, is disappointing for the conspiracy theorists of the situation.

The new directory is called by two names by the few 'Ndrangheta members who know about it: "the Invisibles" (because most affiliates are not allowed to see them); or "freemasonry" (because the directory operates according to business logic). For the 'ndrangheta of the Gotha trial, therefore, freemasonry is a metaphor that has nothing to do with real freemasons and aprons. Above all, it has nothing to do with the major obediences, with the Grand Orient of Italy and the Grand Lodge of Italy. We can therefore see that the 'ndrangheta, like a large part of the rest of the Italian citizenry, has a vision of freemasonry based on clichés: that is, based on a vague memory of the P2 affair, it thinks that "freemasonry" is synonymous with "occult power ”, of “shady business network”.

Are all Freemasons innocent, then? I do not believe. Are all trials against Freemasonry destined to make the same mistake? This is the risk if magistrates, policemen, journalists and citizens do not become much better informed about the mysterious object "Freemasonry". If we all continue to talk about Freemasonry without distinction, as if it were a single uniformly corrupt world, and not instead a confusion of different groups, with very different intentions, among which it is necessary to distinguish the bad subjects from the many good citizens.

If we persist in our ignorance about the true meaning of the Masonic oaths, and if we continue to treat them as the sign of a kind of white-collar silence, thus legitimizing a presumption of collective guilt. If we leave without comment the many conspiracy idiocies in circulation, which attribute every historical event to obscure Masonic plots, from the French Revolution to the Unification of Italy, from the coming to power of fascism, to the fall of Mussolini, from the collapse of Soviet Union at the mafia massacres of '92. And if we get lost in the mists of hearsay that have always been lifted when talking about Freemasonry.

The Masonic world is a piece of society like any other. As such it has its specific strengths and weaknesses when it comes to dealing with the risk of mafia and/or criminal activity. The history of Freemasonry has much to teach us about these aspects. The lodges in Italy today, as in many other contexts, are the product of a particular history in which profiteering is far from being the only factor at play.

It is in Italy that we find the deepest and most enduring tradition of conspiracy myths, a tradition that has its roots in the theocratic hostility of the Catholic Church towards Freemasonry. In Italy, Freemasonry, until its ban by fascism in 1925, was more politicized than elsewhere. In Italy, in the post-war period, Freemasonry had the specificity of having to survive in a society dominated by two political forces, the DC and the PCI, both heirs of very strong traditions of hostility towards the lodges. These are the basic coordinates of another specificity of Italian history, the P2, a lodge dedicated to right-wing profiteering and subversivism, which has done so much to establish a simplistic and misleading equivalence in our collective memory: P2 = freemasonry .5 August 2023

31 October 2023

'Ndrangheta in the Vibonese area, the newly repentant against Mancuso and Accorinti
The criminal actions of the Limbadi and Zungri bosses are in the sights of the new justice collaborator

by Editorial Staff
05 November 2023

“He was so powerful that he drove the Corleonesi away from Calabria.” This is what the newly repentant Domenico Guastalegname said during his first interrogations, in reference to the Limbadi boss Luigi Mancuso. The first reports have been filed in the Rinascita trial which is being held in the bunker courtroom in Lamezia Terme. According to prosecutor Antonio De Bernardo, the "investigative elements that emerged present further and indispensable novel characteristics compared to the evidentiary compendium in documents, and whose acquisition appears to be absolutely necessary". Guastalegname spoke about the illicit affairs of the Vibonese gangs, from Calabria to Northern Italy. In the crosshairs, tenders and repeated actions of interference in the economic system. He would not even miss the drug trafficking for which the collaborator would have called into question Giuseppe Antonio Accorinti, head of the Zungri clan.

Domenico Guastalegname and some of his friends robbed a tobacco shop, and ended up killing the tobacconist there. If they make so many billions in drug profits what the hell are they doing committing armed robberies.

10 mln euros seized in probe into mafia infiltration in Italy
Source: Xinhua| 2023-11-07 00:02:15|Editor: huaxia
ROME, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Italian police seized over 10 million euros (10.7 million U.S. dollars) from 11 companies for alleged tax fraud in connection with a probe into mafia infiltration of contracting works awarded by the country's railway operator, authorities said on Monday.

The operation was coordinated by the Anti-Mafia District Directorate (DDA) in Milan. It follows a previous probe that in early 2022 led to the arrest of 15 people charged with tax fraud, bankruptcy, money laundering and mafia association. All but one of them were later convicted in court.

Italy's railway operator RFI is a defendant in the investigation.

The 11 companies under probe provided maintenance, vehicles and staff to various RFI stations across the country for years, the previous investigation ascertained. Authorities believed they were all fictitious and connected to a "group of people closely linked to the 'Ndrangheta gang called Nicoscia-Arena" based near Crotone in the southern Calabria region.

The new inquiry allowed finance police to piece together "the million-worth circuit of false invoices issued to cover contracts for the supply of specialized labor and vehicle (to RFI) in order to circumvent the anti-mafia legislation and the limitations to subcontracting public contracts," the Guardia di Finanza (GdF, financial police) said.

'Ndrangheta is one of Italy's three traditional mafia organizations, and is now seen as the richest and most dangerous one. Born in the Calabria region, it has grown into a worldwide operating criminal organization, and is present across Italy and Europe.

According to a recent assessment by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), it is responsible for "much of Europe's cocaine trade, combined with systematic money laundering, bribery and violence." ?

'Ndrangheta: drug arrests between Rome and Reggio Calabria
November 8, 2023

The operations of the soldiers of the provincial command of Rome and Reggio Calabria have been underway since dawn
'Ndrangheta: drug arrests between Rome and Reggio Calabria

In the province of Rome and Reggio Calabria, the Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Rome, with the support of those of the Provincial Command of Reggio Calabria, have been executing since the early hours of this morning an order ordering personal precautionary measures, issued by the investigating judge of the Court of Rome at the request of the DDA of the Rome Prosecutor's Office, against 12 people, including Italians and Albanians, seriously suspected, in various capacities, of the crimes of association aimed at drug trafficking and drug dealing.

The investigation activity originates from some investigative findings coming from the broader investigation called "Tritone", conducted by the Carabinieri of the Investigative Unit of Rome and which, in February 2022, had dismantled a local 'ndrangheta rooted in the municipalities of Anzio and Nettuno, dedicated not only to drug trafficking but also to the conditioning of local political life and the control of economic activities and the awarding of local contracts.

In particular, in the Tritone investigation it was documented how one of the 'Ndrangheta members, having the ability to import large loads of narcotics from South America, in order to obtain further revenues, had expanded his sales activities of the narcotic from the municipalities of Anzio and Nettuno to the municipalities of Rocca di Papa and Grottaferrata, intertwining their affairs here with those of the association, made up of today's suspects.

The investigations, conducted by the Carabinieri of via In Selci, made it possible to reconstruct numerous sales of cocaine as well as documenting the logistical capabilities of the clan which also had the availability of a pilot of a private plane and an airfield for the narcotic imports. in the municipality of Nettuno.

The Calabrian fugitive, originally from San Luca, Antonio Strangio (44 years old) was arrested in Germany by agents of the 'Bundeskriminalamt', the German federal police. The news was released by the authoritative newspaper ' Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ' ( FAZ ), highlighting that the capture of the fugitive occurred following a road accident in which he was involved at the end of October, and confirmed by investigative circles in Calabria. The fugitive, in fact, was identified after accidentally rear-ending an elderly woman.

Believed to be affiliated with the Pelle 'family' " i vanchelli ", allied with the Vottari ' i frunzu ' and the Pelle ' gazzazza ' - although he did not receive final convictions for mafia association - Antonio Strangio had been wanted since last January, after having moved away from San Luca in Aspromonte, where he was subjected to special surveillance.

The fugitive - cousin of Francesco Pelle known as " Ciccio Pakistan " and Antonio Pelle alias " Vanchelli " - known as ' u meccanicu ' for his passion for racing cars, had moved to Germany at a very young age and had also worked as a pizza chef in the restaurant "Da Bruno" in Duisburg, the place where on the night of 15 August 2007 a fire group from the opposing Nirta (' i versu ') - Strangio gang killed six members of the Pelle-Vottari gang for reasons linked to the San Luca feud in Aspromonte, during which Maria Strangio , wife of the boss Gianluca Nirta, was murdered. Furthermore, Antonio Strangio was confirmed to have been present in the Duisburg restaurant on the evening of 15 August 2007, but he left the restaurant shortly before the Nirta-Strangio ambush which caused six deaths.

Deadly ambush in Cetraro, a criminal killed
Alessandro Cataldo was murdered by gunshots in the port area of the town. He ended up in the Overloading investigation

Deadly ambush in the evening in Cetraro. A man, Alessandro Cataldo, 46 years old with a criminal record, was murdered in the port area of the Tyrrhenian town of Cosenza by a hitman who fired four gunshots at the man. To then disappear in a car in which there would have been an accomplice. The murder in front of a pizzeria in the area which is believed to be owned by the family.

Alessandro Cataldo, the victim of the ambush, ended up at the center of the Anti-Mafia Operation “Overloading” , coordinated by the Catanzaro District. In the investigation carried out against drug trafficking along the Tyrrhenian coast of Cosenza, the 46-year-old was convicted. This is the mega operation against a cartel that was apparently headed by the Muto clan, the historic 'Ndrangheta gang of Cetraro

In response to the Cataldo murder in Cetraro.

The Democratic Party stands alongside the mayor Ermanno Cennamo – we read again in the note – who is carrying out all the necessary initiatives, having long ago started a profitable synergy with the police forces and with all the state apparatus . The hope is that common sense, responsibility and the common objective of eradicating this devastating plague that has persisted for too many years will prevail."

«In Cetraro there is not yet a high-level white-collar mafia, but there are dangerous youth gangs linked to drug trafficking, managed by the Camorra and the 'Ndrangheta – conclude the Dems –. We must forcefully ask the competent minister, as the mayor has already promptly done, to take charge of the social drama of our town and to adopt all the appropriate measures by strengthening the State's safeguards and facilitating awareness of a phenomenon that risks degenerating further as happened in the 1980s."