PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE IN ROME

ROME – Today morning, the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia, with the support of the Police HQ and the Provincial Commands of the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza in Rome, Cosenza, and Agrigento, upon proxy of the Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome, carried out a pre-trial detention order, issued by the G.I.P. of the Court in Rome concerning 26 persons (24 already in prison and 2 in house arrest) seriously suspected, at different degrees, of mafia-type association (art. 416 bis c.p.), kidnapping (articles 110, 605, 416 bis. 1 c.p.), fictitious registration of assets (articles 110, 512bis, 416bis 1 c.p.) and other offences.

The investigation was conducted by the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia – Field Office in Rome and coordinated by the DDA of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome.  It focussed on the recent evidences which triggered, on the last 10 May, 43 pre-trial measures. The serious evidences confirmed the existence of a syndicate operating in Rome [known as locale di Roma, “distaccamento” or “propaggine” from the locale of Cosoleto (RC), but including also persons belonging to ‘ndrangheta families coming from Sinopoli (RC) and other Calabrian towns, as well as some persons from Rome]. This group, set within the ‘ndrangheta mafia-type organization  – operating in the province of Reggio Calabria and other Calabrian provinces, as well as in other Italian regions (Latium, Lombardy, Emilia, Piedmont, Ligury, Valle d’Aosta) and abroad (Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Australia), was formed by several tens of locali and a top collegiate body known as “la Provincia”, availing itself of the intimidating force of the associative bond and of the condition of subjugation and of the code of silence that derives from it locally in order to:

• Manage or, in any case, control economic activities in the most varied sectors (i.e. fisheries, bakeries, confectionaries, waste oil and hides collection) recurring regularly to a fictitious registration in order to hide the real owner of the activities;
• commit offences against property, life, and the individual safety as well as related to arms;
• hegemonically control economic activities in the territory (especially in the catering, cafeterias and bakery sectors), achieved also on the basis of agreements with similar criminal organizations;
• finally, to gain illegal profits.

The persons, seriously suspected of being the top echelons of this syndicate, were CARZO Antonio and ALVARO Vincenzo, both belonging to historical ‘ndrangheta families from Cosoleto (RC).

A previous order, issued in the meantime by the Court of Review, confirmed that the mandatory conditions of mafia-type association were met and that the criminal structure, having an entrepreneurial vocation, regularly resorted to fictitious registration of the ownership of assets, thus gaining control over the companies, sole-proprietor firms and companies in different sectors such as bakeries, catering businesses, restaurants, entertainment, and authorized betting (tobacconists, arkade rooms, licensed centres for top-up cards, sale of tickets and games controlled by the Agency of the State Monopolies), sale and rental of cars.

This pre-trial order, at the conclusion of further investigations since October 2021, confirms and completes in detail the results achieved during seizures carried out in parallel to the previous order, concerning 25 companies for an amount roughly equal to 100 million euros.

In fact, the investigation conducted in the context of this order, succeeded in reconstructing, based on serious evidences, the regular implementation of a well-proven financial “cyclical” pattern, having the following scheme: to abandon a company believed to be affected; use of a new company; taking over the company and the rental contracts with misappropriation of the properties, scutching and signs, starting a firm belonging to the company to be abandoned; identifying new fictitious owners so to continue to manage the commercial activities and to control them. Indeed, the investigation conducted in the framework of this proceeding found out how the upper echelons and the affiliates of the locale in Rome bought the companies, sometimes even buying the real estate properties, and at the moment of the advance payment, these persons deposited a very low sum, diluting the rest in hundreds of instalments, guaranteed by bills of exchange, which, according to wiretappings, actually were paid in cash. Sometimes the payment was done by topping up postepay cards in a tobacconist shop with an automatic teller machine under their control, using the uncovered amount granted by SISAL which later on was reimbursed in cash.

The investigation was conducted by the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia with the support of the @ON Network granted by the European Union and coordinated by the Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia in Rome.

The proceeding is still in a preliminary phase. Therefore, the principle of presumption of innocence applies to all suspects.