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Operation "Canadian 'ndrangheta Connection 2"

Operation "Canadian 'ndrangheta Connection 2" - The Central Operative Service of the State Police and the Flying Squad of the Reggio Calabria Police Headquarters, under the direction of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of the District Attorney of the Republic of Reggio Calabria directed by the Prosecutor Giovanni BOMBARDIERI, with the coordination of the Assistant Prosecutor Giuseppe LOMBARDO and of the Substitutes Prosecutors Giovanni CALAMITA and Simona FERRAIUOLO, the investigators of the State Police have carried out an order of pre-trial detention, issued by the GIP at the Court of Reggio Calabria against 28 subjects held responsible for various reasons for the crimes of mafia association transnational and armed, port and illegal possession of weapons, fraudulent transfer of values, abusive exercise of credit, usury and personal facilitation,aggravated by the mafia mode.

The ruling of the GIP of Reggio Calabria renews the precautionary measures already issued by the competent GIP for the area on the validation of the Crime suspect arrest executed on July 18 by the State Police, on the order of the Reggio Calabria District Anti-Mafia Directorate, charged to 14 subjects in the Operation "Canadian 'Ndrangheta Connection", and at the same time have - in acceptance of a new precautionary request advanced by the DDA - other restrictive measures against another 14 subjects.

In particular, 14 precautionary measures in prison were issued against the following subjects - already subjected to detention of a suspect in the context of the Operation "Canadian 'ndrangheta connection" - as they were held responsible for the crimes indicated next to each of them :

ARCHINA 'Michelangelo, born in Toronto (Canada) on 6 October 1976 (custody in prison for detention and port in the public place of common firing weapons, with the aggravating circumstance of facilitating the mafia association called' ndrangheta);

CERISANO Domenico, born in Siderno (RC) on December 14, 1967 (custody in jail for mafia association, as a participant in the 'ndrina FIGLIOMENI of contrada Donisi di Siderno);

FILIPPONE Francesco, born in Siderno (RC) on 22 March 1981 (custody in jail for mafia association, as a participant in the 'Ndrangheta of Siderno);

FUTIA Cosimo, known as "Shuster", born in Siderno (RC) on 13 August 1977 (custody in jail for possession of weapons (mitra) even from war (grenades), with the aggravating circumstance of having facilitated the 'ndrangheta) ;

GREGORACI Giuseppe, known as "Pino", born in Siderno (RC) on 24 March 1968 (custody in jail for mafia association, as a participant in the 'ndrina Figliomeni of contrada Donisi di Siderno and abusive exercise of credit, with the aggravating circumstance to have facilitated the 'ndrangheta);

MACRI 'Giuseppe, born in Siderno (RC) on 2 August 1954 (custody in jail for mafia association, as a participant in the local' ndrangheta di Siderno);

MUIA 'Armando, born in Siderno (RC) on 19 September 1956 (pre-trial detention for mafia association, as a participant in the' ndrina Muià);

MUIA 'Giuseppe, born in Siderno (RC) on 9 January 1944 (custody in prison, for mafia association as head, promoter and organizer of the' ndrina MUIA ');

MUIA 'Vincenzo, born in Siderno (RC) on 14 August 1972 (custody in jail for mafia association, as a participant of the' ndrina MUIA ');

MUIA 'Vincenzo, born in Siderno (RC) on 10 December 1968 (pre-trial detention for mafia association, as a participant of the' ndrina MUIA ');

MUIA 'Vincenzo, known as "il fontaniere", born in Siderno (RC) on 4 October 1969 (custody in jail for mafia association, as a participant in the' ndrina MUIA ');

MUIA 'Vincenzo, born in Siderno (RC) on 6 November 1969 (custody in jail for mafia association, with the role of leader, organizer and promoter of the homonymous' ndrina of the Ferraro district; fictitious heading of assets, detention and port in public place of common firearm weapons, wear and personal aiding, with an aggravating circumstance of having facilitated the 'ndrangheta);

RUMBO Santo, born in Siderno (RC) on 7 October 1989 (custody in jail for mafia association, with high dowry in the 'ndrangheta of Siderno);

CARABETTA Michele, born in Siderno (RC) on November 28, 1957, residing in Canada (custody in prison, for association with the mafia, as a participant in the local 'Ndrangheta of Siderno and his projection in Canada in the "Greater Toronto Area" );



Other 14 precautionary measures (of which 9 in prison and 5 under house arrest) have been arranged, as mentioned, on the basis of a new request made by the Reggio Calabria Anti-Mafia District Attorney towards the following subjects, held responsible for the crimes indicated alongside of each of them:

COMMISSO Francesco, alias “u SELECT”, born in Siderno (RC) on 3 October 1956, residing in Canada (pre-trial detention for mafia association, as head and organizer of the local 'Ndrangheta in Siderno and its projection in Canada in the "Greater Toronto Area";

COMMISSION Rocco Remo, born in Siderno (RC) on 29 June 1946, residing in Canada (pre-trial detention for mafia association, as head and organizer of the 'Ndrangheta club in Siderno and his projection in Canada in the' Greater Toronto Area";

DE MARIA Giuseppe, known as "Joe", born in Canada on June 2, 1963, residing in Canada (custody in jail for mafia association, as a participant in the local 'Ndrangheta of Siderno and his projection in Canada in the "Greater Toronto Area");

FIGLIOMENI Angelo, known as "Angelino", born in Siderno (RC) on 30 September 1962, domiciled in Canada (custody in prison for mafia association, as head, organizer and promoter of the 'ndrangheta in Siderno and its projection in Canada in the "Greater Toronto Area");

FIGLIOMENI Antonio, known as "'Ntoni e fredu", born in Siderno (RC) on 25 October 1961, residing in Canada (custody in jail for mafia association, as head, organizer and promoter of the' ndrangheta in Siderno and of his screening in Canada in the "Greater Toronto Area";

FIGLIOMENI Cosimo, known as "Cosimino", born in Siderno (RC) on 6 February 1965, domiciled in Canada (pre-trial detention for mafia association, as head, organizer and promoter of the 'ndrangheta in Siderno and his projection in Canada in the "Greater Toronto Area", an abusive exercise of credit, with the aggravating circumstance of having facilitated the 'ndrangheta);

FILIPPONE Bruno, born in Siderno (RC) on 8 July 1983, already detained for another reason (pre-trial detention for mafia association, as a participant in the 'ndrangheta operating in Siderno);

GALEA Antonio, born in Siderno on 31 July 1962, already detained for another reason (custody in jail for mafia association, as organizer and leader of the local Ndrangheta in Siderno, with the role of master of the day);

BISHOP Luigi, born in Canada on 8 July 1971, residing in Canada, (custody in jail for mafia association, as a participant in the local 'Ndrangheta of Siderno and his projection in Canada in the "Greater Toronto Area");

GRAVINA Marilena, born in Melito di Porto Salvo (RC) on December 25, 1972 (precautionary custody of house arrest for abetting personal aggravated by the circumstance of facilitating the 'ndrangheta);

FIGLIOMENI Emanuela, born in Locri (RC) on 7 November 1980 (precautionary custody of house arrest for fictitious entry of property aggravated by the circumstance of having facilitated the 'ndrangheta);

FIGLIOMENI Teresa, born in Locri (RC) on 24 September 1975 (precautionary custody of house arrest for fictitious entry of property aggravated by the circumstance of having facilitated the 'ndrangheta);

IERACI Pietro, born in Locri (RC) on 10 July 1976 (precautionary custody of house arrest for fictitious entry of property aggravated by the circumstance of having facilitated the 'ndrangheta);

MAMONE Antonio, born in Messina on 3 December 1977, residing in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica (RC) (precautionary custody of house arrest for fictitious entry of property aggravated by the circumstance of facilitating the 'ndrangheta).

Eight of the recipients of the precautionary measure in prison are in Canada.

RUMBO Santo was located in Luxembourg and was captured by the Enfast Team of the Luxembourg Police in collaboration with the homologous body of the Italian SCIP (International Police Cooperation Service), in execution of an MFA (European Arrest Warrant) issued by the competent judicial authority of Reggio Calabria.

The applicative order of precautionary measures issued by the GIP at the Court of Reggio Calabria fully validates the accusatory system proposed by the Reggio Calabria Anti-Mafia District Directorate against the above-mentioned 28 subjects considered top management, belonging to and belonging to the 'ndrine MUIÀ and FIGLIOMENI federate with the powerful cosca of 'ndrangheta COMMISSO di Siderno.

The investigative activities - conducted with the aid of sophisticated techniques of telephone and environmental interception - have brought to light the current criminal dynamics that characterize the 'ndrine MUIA' and FIGLIOMENI allied with the COMMISSO gang operating in Siderno (RC) and in Canada, where it is known as Siderno Group of Crime.

The investigations originated from the murder of MUIÀ Carmelo known as "Mino" [1] - murdered in Siderno (RC) by gunshots on 18 January 2018. He was considered the lieutenant of the boss COMMISSO Giuseppe alias il Mastro and it was located at the top of the homonymous Andrina in the Ferraro district of Siderno.

After the murder, in order to understand the reasons that had determined him, the brother of the killed, MUIA 'Vincenzo, carried out a series of close comparisons with subjects close to the' ndrangheta, maturing the conviction that the ambush was by bring back to a serious action of revenge put in place by the rival SALERNO Vincenzo [2], belonging to the homonymous family that, in the past, driven by ambitions of autonomy, had split from the motherboard of the COMMISSO.



Perspective that he considered in concrete terms, recalling in some intercepted conversations the reasons for a bitter armed conflict - to which the MUIA themselves would have taken part - during which SALERNO Salvatore [3] and Agostino [4], brothers of Vincenzo.

During a summit held in Siderno (RC) in the spring of 2018 MUIA 'Vincenzo called on a large handful of loyalists, to whom to entrust the execution of a plan aimed at curbing any violent intentions against his family.

At the same time, having taken over the command of the 'ndrina of the Ferraro district, also through the management of the commercial activities fictitiously managed by his brother, he started a decisive rearmament of the group, urging the owners of a resale to supply him with ammunition and trying some deadly weapons from war.

In this context, last April, MUIÀ Vincenzo - driven by the desire to know the real reasons that led to the murder of his brother - and the grateful GREGORACI Giuseppe went to Toronto, where they met the FIGLIOMENI brothers Cosimo [5] and FIGLIOMENI Angelo [6] known as "the brigands", both fugitives in Canada in relation to the operation of the Reggio Emilia "Acero-Krupi- Connection".

The investigations and investigative investigations carried out during the stay of the two detainees in Canada made it possible to verify a series of contacts with the FIGLIOMENI brothers aimed at obtaining a definite answer on the reasons and responsibilities of the murder of MUIA 'Carmelo, which they would actually have given, however, with a series of insufficient indications to attribute full responsibility for the crime.

From what has emerged it was possible to trace, in line with the acquisitions of other procedures defined by the Reggio Emilia DDA, the operation of intermediate structures with coordination and supervision functions, such as the Toronto "commission" or "control room", established and operating in the field of the Crime of Siderno, as an intermediate articulation of 'ndrangheta detached from the ionic province of Reggio in the macro area revolving around the Region of Ontario in Canada, but inextricably linked, in a sort of "criminal blockchain", to the province of Reggio Calabria.

In the course of the investigation, it was possible to see how the 'Nidrangheta sidernese, which has been established in Canada for many years, needs to resort to supranational command structures in order to better govern complex structures in territorial areas very distant from the mother house.

From the captured interviews it was, then, possible to reconstruct the composition of the "crime of Siderno" - to be understood as the maximum expression of the 'ndrangheta operating in Canada, to which is reserved a competence that in some cases, like the one in question, can extend to the occurrence of facts attributable to the local realities of Locride - currently commissioned by Francesco, alias “u chosen”, who is a fugitive in Canada in relation to the operations “La falsa politica” and “Acero Krupy Connection; FIGLIOMENI Cosimo, quoted above; COMMISSION Rocco Remo quoted above and a subject named Filippo, not better identified.

These findings - of great importance as they broaden the horizon of current knowledge on the articulated structure of the 'Ndrangheta also in a supranational context - make it possible to ascertain, for the first time, that the territorial articulation operating in Canada, referable to the local of Siderno , is currently governed by a body ("Il Crime di Siderno") composed of a plurality of subjects (indicated above) that, in order to preserve its operativeness with respect to the problems connected with the notorious investigative pressure applied to the 'ndrangheta in the territory Italian, is authorized to meet and take decisions even on foreign territory.

Substantially it can be considered that the decision-making body operating in foreign territory is directly referable to the territorial structure operating in Siderno (the Società di Siderno) and, through this, to the top structures that govern the wide organizational structures, in Italy and abroad, of the whole 'ndrangheta.

This conclusion finds comfort in the results of the present investigation, and in particular in this perspective the trip to Canada of the MUIA 'Vincenzo must be interpreted (as stated by the same): therefore, results that confirm the competence of the aforementioned Canadian body in relation to to events of criminal relevance referable to the wider government of the territorial area of ​​Siderno, whose notorious and stable foreign projections are no longer only managed in the area of ​​origin but find a new, and more efficient, operational relocation to Canada: that is sections of a body with wide competencies, delegated by the parent company without rigid territorial constraints,it is derived from the fact that he is called upon to deal with both important facts (such as the murder of a 'ndrina chief such as Carmelo MUIÀ) and apparently more banal events, such as shortcomings, to which the oral reproach to COMMISSO Francesco follows. understood "Ciccio di Grazia", ​​an important element of the COMMISSO clan, a fugitive in Canada (operation "Maple-Krupi-Connection") which is disputed an excessive closeness, in that territory, to other 'ndrangheta clans distinct from the local Siderno Thus, the investigative findings allow, in other words, to state that the governing body of the Siderno branch no longer operates only in Calabria (sending orders abroad) but does so directly on Canadian territory, for the obvious purpose of making its structure is more and more efficient and the command action is effective.

The presence and operation of the 'Ndrangheta in Canada is also confirmed by a recent and innovative sentence issued by the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario on 28 February 2019, in the context of the investigation called "Project Ophenix", conducted by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CSFEU) of Toronto, with which, precisely, the 'ndrangheta has been recognized, for the first time, as a criminal organization fully operating in that territory. The aforementioned investigation, carried out thanks to the invaluable contribution of an infiltrated Police Agent, which in 2014 recorded numerous meetings with important representatives of Italian-Canadian crime, allowed us to gather valid evidence against URSINO Giuseppe, born in Gioiosa Ionica (RC) April 12, 1953,

The inquiry conducted by the Reggio Calabria Anti-Mafia District Directorate also takes into account the results of an effective international cooperation activity between State Police investigators (Reggio Calabria Flying Squad and Rome Central Operational Service) and Canadians (York Regional Police di Aurora), operating under the directives of the magistrates of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Reggio Calabria, in agreement with the York Region Attorney`s General, in order to monitor the projections and criminal dynamics of the 'ndrangheta gangs traditionally active in the State of North America.

As part of the investigation, thanks to the international cooperation activity, it was possible to document, with the coordination of the Reggio Calabria DDA magistrates - through targeted observation services carried out by Canadian and Italian investigators in the large US state and exchanges of information - important aspects of the operations of the 'ndrine di Siderno (RC) in the' Greater Toronto Area ', where last July 12, at the conclusion of investigations parallel to those carried out in Reggio Calabria, the Canadian Police arrested 10 subjects, including FIGLIOMENI Angelo class 1962 understood u briganti, a prominent element of the 'ndrangheta of Siderno (RC) - now affected by the order of custody in prison issued by the GIP of Regio Calabria for mafia association - and seized movable and immovable property,including some luxury cars and large sums of money, for a total value of about 23 million dollars, proceeds from criminal activities (money laundering, usury, gambling).

The results of the two Canadian and Italian surveys were particularly relevant and investigative in their effectiveness, which, started autonomously, in a completely separate manner from the different Judicial Authorities, each in the territories of its competence, subsequently found connection points and convergences such as push foreign investigators to spontaneously send some of their survey findings and initiate contacts with Italian investigators.

The investigations suggest that the gangs of 'Indrangheta of Siderno (RC) with their offshore offshoots are realizing diversified illicit activities in the Greater Toronto Area, thanks to the close link that unites the Canadian Chamber of Control to the Siderno Crime.

The operation "Canadian 'ndrangheta connection 2" represents a further and very important step in the action of countering the organized crime of Calabrian origin which, for some time now, has had its roots in various States and in particular in the rich Region of Ontario.