The hands of the mafia on Custonaci, raid in the Trapani area: 21 arrests. The former deputy mayor is also there Technical-administrative and accounting documentation acquired from the Municipality of Custonaci: among those arrested Carlo Guarano 09:19 by Ernesto Oliva
The Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate, the State Police of Trapani and the Investigation Unit of the Provincial Carabinieri Command of Trapani have executed a precautionary custody order issued by the Court of Palermo, at the request of the corresponding Public Prosecutor's Office - District Anti-Mafia Directorate, with which 21 restrictive measures were imposed , of which 17 in prison and 4 under house arrest, against as many people believed to belong to the mafia families of Custonaci, Valderice and Trapani, which belong to the "cosa nostra " mandate of the Trapani capital. At the same time, numerous searches were also carried out against further suspects who were at large and technical-administrative and accounting documentation was also acquired from the Municipality of Custonaci: among those arrested was the former deputy mayor Carlo Guarano, accused of external complicity in a mafia association. Under investigation at large are the former mayor Giuseppe Morfino, the former councilor Giovanni Battista Campo and a majority city councilor in office.
The joint operation called "Scialandro" , which lasted two years, in which the DIA of Palermo and Trapani, the Flying Squad of the Trapani Police Headquarters and the Trapani Investigation Unit of the Carabinieri worked, made it possible to gather serious indications of guilt for crimes of a mafia-type association nature or in any case for crimes characterized by the mafia-like aggravating circumstance.
Specifically, the investigations brought to light synergies and opaque relationships between members of the old municipal administration of Custonaci and the aforementioned mafia consortiums thanks to which the latter managed to impose on the local authority the names of the beneficiaries of solidarity contributions to deal with the conditions of post-pandemic economic hardship, as well as to pilot the awarding of public contracts in favor of colluding companies or those attributable to them, even through third parties, one of which had proceeded with the fictitious hiring of a life prison inmate with the aim of allowing him to benefit from semi-freedom .
The socio-economic control of the territory was also implemented through extortion and intimidation towards the owners of agricultural companies to dissuade them from purchasing land that was targeted by mafia associations.
