Francesco Mazzaferro

Last updated

Francesco Mazzaferro (born March 29, 1940, in Gioiosa Ionica), also known as Ciccio, is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria. He belongs to the Mazzaferro clan from Gioiosa Ionica. The clan is opposed to the Aquino-Scali-Ursino clan from the same town. [1] He was leading the Mazzaferro clan together with his brothers Giuseppe and Vincenzo. Together with his cousin Rocco Lo Presti, Mazzaferro also controlled Bardonecchia and Val di Susa in Piedmont. [2] [3]

Contents

Moving north

In the early 1970s, Mazzaferro was found guilty of exercising a monopoly over transportation in the area of Gioiosa Ionica. The court ordered him to reside outside his region of origin, and in 1972 he moved to Bardonecchia in the Province of Turin, in the Piedmont region, where lived for some time the powerful cousin Rocco Lo Presti. There, he started a transport and construction company, to serve the construction sites, and together with Lo Presti, within two years, he managed to clear the competition, in the construction sector, winning lucrative tenders as the realization of the Fréjus Road Tunnel. [4] [5]

Throughout the 1980s, he was charged with a variety of offenses in Piedmont, Calabria, and Sicily. On May 17, 1984, he was arrested for drug trafficking. [6] He was sentenced to 18 years by the court in Turin in 1987, and the same court imposed for his release a deposit of 200 million and the stay obliged to Gioiosa Ionica, his country of origin, with no possibility to return or stay in Piedmont, Valle d' Aosta and Sicily. [7] [2] He was found guilty of being the boss of a "mafia group" based in Piedmont that was involved in several crimes, including drug trafficking and illegal money lending. [4]

In 1995, Mazzaferro, despite having long resided in Calabria, was involved in the investigations that led to the dissolution of the municipal council of Bardonecchia. Rocco Lo Presti was arrested because he was held responsible for having exercised his influence on the decisions of the public administration. [8] Dissolving municipal council was common in the south of Italy, where the power of organized crime was firmly established. In the north of Italy, however, this had never happened before. The dissolution of the municipal council of Bardonecchia marked the recognition of the fact that 'Ndrangheta clans had penetrated deeply in society in northern Italy as well. [5]

Prominent boss

In the 1970s, the Mazzaferro clan allied with the De Stefano 'ndrina from Reggio Calabria in the First 'Ndrangheta war. [9] Vincenzo, Giuseppe and Francesco Mazzaferro were part of the hit squad, which also included Nicola and Giuseppe Cataldo, that killed the traditional 'Ndrangheta boss Antonio Macrì and wounded Francesco Commisso, Macrì's right hand man. [9]

In September 1991, Francesco Mazzaferro became a member of Camera di Controllo , a provincial commission of the 'Ndrangheta formed at the end of the Second 'Ndrangheta war to avoid further internal conflicts. [10] The war had raged in Calabria for six years from 1985 to 1991 and left more than 600 people dead. [11]

Drug trafficking

In 1993, Mazzaferro was again arrested for drug trafficking. [2] The Mazzaferro clan was also involved in cocaine trafficking from Colombia with the Sicilian Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan. In March 1994, the Italian police seized 5497 kilogrammes of cocaine (a European record at the time) in Borgaro Torinese near Turin (the investigation was code-named Operation Cartagine). The Mazzaferros also represented other 'Ndrangheta clans in the trafficking: Barbaro (Platì), Ierinò (Gioiosa Ionica), Morabito (Africo), Cataldo (Locri) and Pesce (Rosarno). [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Macrì</span> Italian criminal

Antonio Macrì, popularly known as Zzi 'Ntoni, was a historical and charismatic boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. He was born in Siderno on the Ionian coast of Calabria and was the capobastone of the 'ndrine in his hometown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">'Ndrina</span>

The 'ndrina is the basic unit of the 'Ndrangheta of Calabria, made up of blood relatives, and is the equivalent of the Sicilian Mafia’s "family" or cosca. The word derives from the Greek, meaning "a man who does not bend". Each 'ndrina is "autonomous on its territory and no formal authority stands above the 'ndrina boss." The 'ndrina is usually in control of a small town or a neighbourhood in larger cities, even outside Calabria, in cities and towns in the industrial North of Italy in and around Turin and Milan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giuseppe Coluccio</span> Italian criminal (born 1966)

Giuseppe Coluccio is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He was a fugitive since 2005 and included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his capture on 7 August 2008, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girolamo Piromalli</span> Italian criminal

Girolamo Piromalli, also known as Mommo, was an Italian mobster and member of the 'Ndrangheta. He was capobastone of the Piromalli 'ndrina based in his home town Gioia Tauro on the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Barbaro (Castanu)</span>

Francesco Barbaro, also known as U'Castanu, was a boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria, Italy. Born in Platì, he was the head of the Barbaro 'ndrina. He was the son of Francesco Barbaro and Marianna Carbone, who at the beginning of the twentieth century gave rise to the powerful Barbaro 'ndrina, which was later divided into various branches, namely the Castani, the Nigri, the Pillari and the Rosi, with links to all the most important gangs of the 'Ndrangheta.

The Second 'Ndrangheta war was an internal struggle in the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal organisation in Calabria. The conflict raged from 1985–1991 in Reggio Calabria. Practically all the 'ndrine in the city of Reggio Calabria grouped into either one of two opposing factions: the Condello, Imerti, Serraino and Rosmini clans on one side, and the De Stefano, Tegano, Libri and Latella clans on the other.

Giuseppe Cataldo, also known as Peppe, was an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He belonged to the Cataldo 'ndrina based in Locri.

Salvatore Aquino, also known as "Turi", is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria. He is the boss of the Aquino 'ndrina from Marina di Gioiosa Ionica and is closely related to Giuseppe Coluccio, leader of drug trafficking.

Luigi Ursino is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He's the boss of the Ursino 'ndrina from Gioiosa Ionica, The family name is sometimes spelled Ursini.

Umberto Bellocco was an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He was the capobastone and founder of the Bellocco 'ndrina from the 1960s until his arrest in 1993.

Paolo Serraino, is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria. He was born in Cardeto, about 10 km southeast of the city of Reggio Calabria.

The Serraino 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Cardeto, about 10 km southeast of the city of Reggio Calabria. The Serraino clan is made up of two groups of brothers, first cousins.

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.

Giuseppe Barbaro, also known as 'u Sparitu, is a boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation based in Calabria, Italy. He is a son of Francesco Barbaro, one of leaders of the Barbaro 'ndrina based in Platì. He was included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his arrest on 10 December 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocco Lo Presti</span> Italian crime boss

Rocco Lo Presti, known in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica, his town of origin as "Roccu u Maneja", was an Italian crime boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organization in Calabria, Italy, but his criminal base was Bardonecchia, in Piedmont region.

The Lo Presti family of Bardonecchia is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a mafia-type organization originally from Marina di Gioiosa Ionica in Calabria with criminal base in Bardonecchia in Piedmont, North Italy. The clan has closely related to the Mazzaferro clan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First 'Ndrangheta war</span>

The First 'Ndrangheta war was an internal struggle in the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation in Calabria. The conflict raged from 1974 to 1977 and resulted in approximately 233 deaths. The war broke the equilibrium in the triumvirate, made up of Antonio Macrì, Domenico Tripodo and Girolamo Piromalli, that had ruled the 'Ndrangheta for 15 years, and facilitated the rise of a new generation 'Ndranghetisti, in particular the De Stefano 'ndrina, who wanted to involve the 'Ndrangheta in new, more lucrative criminal activities.

The Mazzaferro clan is a 'ndrina of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organization in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica.

References

  1. 1 2 (in Italian) Gratteri & Nicaso, Fratelli di Sangue, pp. 136-137
  2. 1 2 3 (in Italian) La Piovra in Piemonte, a Bardonecchia, Omicron Nr. 39, January–March 2003
  3. ↑ (in Italian) La Mafia in Val Susa aveva due boss: Lo Presti e Mazzaferro, Stampa Sera, February 23, 1976
  4. 1 2 How Mafias Migrate: The Case of the 'Ndrangheta in Northern Italy, by Federico Varese, Discussion Papers in Economic and Social History, Number 59, University of Oxford, July 2005
  5. 1 2 (in Italian) 'Don Ciccio' e i 30 anni di mafia nella Val Susa, La Repubblica, November 7, 2006
  6. ↑ (in Italian) Preso a Torino uno dei capi dell'ndrangheta, La Repubblica, May 18, 1984
  7. ↑ Cauzione di 200 milioni. Mazzaferro libero La Stampa December 19, 1987
  8. ↑ Bardonecchia comune chiuso per mafia La Stampa April 29, 1995
  9. 1 2 (in Italian) Gratteri & Nicaso, Fratelli di Sangue, p.58
  10. ↑ (in Italian) Sentenza procedimento penale Olimpia Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , Tribunale di Reggio Calabria, January 19, 1999
  11. ↑ Godfather's arrest fuels fear of bloody conflict, The Observer, February 24, 2008
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.