Domenico Oppedisano

Last updated

Domenico Oppedisano (Rosarno, 5 December 1930) is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He is based in Rosarno.

Contents

Capo crimine

In August 2009 he was appointed capo crimine , the ceremonial head of the 'Ndrangheta, at a marriage of two children of bosses attended by 2,000 people. The marriage was between Elisa Pelle – the daughter of Giuseppe Pelle and granddaughter of Antonio Pelle "Gambazza", the former capo crimine from San Luca who died a few months later of natural causes – and Giuseppe Barbaro, the scion of the eponymous Barbaro 'ndrina from Platì. [1]

He assumed power at a banquet held at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in September that year. In a conversation wiretapped by the police he talked of 1,000 affiliates attending the meeting. [2] [3]

In July 2010, Italian police arrested Oppedisano, 80 years old at time, in a major crackdown on the 'Ndrangheta dubbed Operation Crimine, seizing assets worth millions of euros and arresting 304 people, after a nationwide two-year investigation. [4]

According to the police, Oppedisano was "the reference point for the entire organisation". He brokered peace among factions in Calabria and divided public works contracts in northern Italy, in particular related to the Expo 2015 in Milan. Wiretaps revealed him to be a consensus seeker. "For the love of God, when you make a proposal, you listen to the others to see what they think," he typically told a 'Ndrangheta affiliate. [2]

Unknown to police

Until the start of the investigation in 2008, Oppedisano had been relatively unknown to police. The nominal head of the 'Ndrangheta drove around the town of Rosarno in a humble three-wheeled van, [5] delivering produce from his orchard at the local market. [6] According to police investigations the power behind Oppedisano was Vincenzo Pesce, the head of the Pesce 'ndrina in Rosarno. [7]

The election of Oppedisano had not been easy. Giuseppe Pelle aspired to replace his ailing father Antonio Gambazza Pelle as capo crimine and keep the title in San Luca at the risk of triggering a conflict between clans. However, Vincenzo Pesce felt that the nomination of Pelle would distort the equilibrium in the 'Ndrangheta and threatened to form a separate organization taking some 30 locali – local 'Ndrangheta organisations – with him. As a result, Oppedisano became the capo crimine instead of Pelle. [1] [8]

On 8 March 2012 Oppedisano was sentenced to 10 years. The sentence followed a trial in the provincial capital of Reggio Calabria in which more than 90 'Ndrangheta members were also jailed and 34 acquitted. Many were convicted of Mafia association. Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri  [ it ] had called on Oppedisano to be jailed for 20 years. [1] [9]

Related Research Articles

The San Luca feud or Vendetta of San Luca is a long-running conflict between two clans of the 'Ndrangheta crime organisation that began in 1991 in Italy's Calabria region in the village of San Luca.

A capocrimine is the elected boss of the crimine, an annual meeting of the 'Ndrangheta locali near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in the municipality of San Luca during the September Feast. Far from being the "boss of bosses", the capo crimine actually has comparatively little authority to interfere in family feuds or to control the level of interfamily violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Pelle</span> Ndrangheta boss (1932–2009)

Antonio Pelle, also known as Ntoni Gambazza, was a historically significant and charismatic 'Ndrangheta boss from San Luca in Calabria. He was the patriarch of the San Luca locale and the 'Ndrangheta capo crimine, the titular head of the organisation, although with little effective power. He reached the rank of vangelo, at the time the highest rank in the organisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giuseppe Morabito</span> Italian criminal

Giuseppe Morabito, nicknamed 'u tiradrittu, is an Italian criminal and a historical boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in the region of Calabria (Italy). He hails from Africo in the Locride. He was a fugitive from 1992 and included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his arrest in February 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honoured Society (Australia)</span> Governing body of many australian mafias.

The Honoured Society is a Calabrian 'ndrangheta criminal confederation, started in Melbourne and currently active in all of Australia. In 1963, it was reportedly involved in the Victoria Market Murders. Frank Benvenuto was a leading figure in the Melbourne groups until his slaying in 2000. Tony Romeo, another high-ranking member, was shot in 2002.

Giuseppe Nirta, was a historical boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He hailed from San Luca in Calabria. Together with his brothers Antonio, Francesco and Sebastiano, he ruled the town, a stronghold of the 'Ndrangheta.

The Cataldo 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. This particular 'ndrina is based in Locri, a hotbed of 'Ndrangheta activity. The clan, allied with the Marafioti family, is involved in a long blood feud with the Cordì 'ndrina, from the same town, since the end of the 1960s.

The Barbaro 'ndrina is a powerful clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina belongs to the locale of the town of Platì. According to the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia, the Barbaro 'ndrina is one of the most important, if not the most important and powerful 'Ndrangheta clans, not only based in Calabria, but also in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy, Piemonte and overseas in Australia, in particular in the Griffith, New South Wales area.

The Bellocco 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Rosarno, on the Tyrrhenian coast, and belongs to the locale of that town, particularly very active in drugs trafficking, arms trafficking, extortion and control of commercial and entrepreneurial activities.

The Camera di Controllo, is a collegial body of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. It is also known as La Provincia or Camera di Compensazione. It is composed of leading 'Ndrangheta members to decide on important questions concerning the organization and settling disputes.

The crimine is an annual meeting of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. The meeting is held near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in the municipality of San Luca during the September Feast. At least since the 1950s, these annual meetings have traditionally served as a forum to discuss future strategies and settle disputes among the locali – all the 'ndrine in a specific town or territory. The assembly exercises weak supervisory powers over the activities of all 'Ndrangheta groups.

The Pesce 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Rosarno on the Tyrrhenian coast.

Vincenzo Pesce, also known as Cenzo, is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He is based in Rosarno and heads the Pesce 'ndrina.

Giuseppe Pelle is an Italian criminal from San Luca, and member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He is the son of Antonio Pelle, also known as Ntoni Gambazza, the capo crimine, the ceremonial head of the 'Ndrangheta.

Rocco Morabito is an Italian criminal from Bova Marina, and member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He is the son of Giuseppe Morabito, also known as Tiradrittu, the head of the 'Ndrangheta in Africo, and succeeded him as the head of the clan after his father had been arrested in February 2004.

Salvatore Pelle, also known as Sarvu Gambazza is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria.

The Mancuso 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Limbadi and Nicotera and is considered by the investigative bodies as the most influential clan in the province of Vibo Valentia.

The Pelle 'ndrina, also known as the Pelle-Vottari, are a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. They are among the most influential 'ndrine of the 'Ndrangheta having members who regularly reside in the advisory and top management bodies of the organization, in particular in the Ionian mandamento and in the crimine. They are also present in Milan and its metropolitan city.

References

  1. 1 2 3 (in Italian) Oppedisano, il patriarca considerato una garanzia, Corriere della Sera, March 8, 2012
  2. 1 2 Italian police arrest 300 in raids on Calabrian mafia, The Guardian, July 13, 2010
  3. ↑ (in Italian) Preso il "Vangelo", capo assoluto scelto dalle cosche della 'ndrangheta Archived July 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , La Stampa, July 14, 2010
  4. ↑ Police Swoop to Round Up ’Ndrangheta, Corriere della Sera, July 14, 2010
  5. ↑ Meet Ilda Boccassini, the lady who scares the Italian Mob, Daily Telegraph, July 18, 2010
  6. ↑ Italian police raids reveal how an 80-year-old gangster held sway over the feared Calabrian mafia, The Observer, July 18, 2010
  7. ↑ (in Italian) Condannati a 20 anni Vincenzo e Ciccio Pesce Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine , Gazzetta del Sud, September 21, 2011
  8. ↑ (in Italian) Un compromesso favorisce Micu Oppedisano Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine , Gazzetta del Sud, March 9, 2011
  9. ↑ "Mafia boss of bosses is jailed for 10 years". The Independent . March 9, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.