- Gratteri: "We canceled the leaders of the 'Ndrangheta in the province of Vibo Valentia"
- The commander of the Ros of the Carabinieri Angelosanto: "Great the corruptive capacity of the 'ndrangheta"
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19 December 2019 "Numerically this is the second operation after the first Palermo maxi-trial of Falcone and Borsellino. The epicenter is in Vibo, the Limbadi family but there have been arrests throughout Italy. The investigation was born on the day of my inauguration when I said we had to work radically in the territories where we go ". The chief prosecutor of Catanzaro, Nicola Gratteri, told Radio Capital about this morning's maxi-operation against the 'Ndrangheta which led to the arrest of 334 people."Politicians involved, lawyers, accountants, public officials, court clerks, it's all people - he adds - that he had a job, he didn't need to put himself at the service of the nrangrangeta. The gangs are not able to make sophisticated recycling, to do it they need professionals who have made themselves available ".
The "Rinascita-Scott" operation
The maxi operation was conducted by the Carabinieri del Ros and the Provincial Command of Vibo Valentia at the request of the DDA for 334 people. The 'Rinascita-Scott' operation has disrupted all the 'ndrangheta organizations operating in the Vibonese area and belonging to the Mancuso di Limbadi clan. Altogether 416 suspects are accused in various ways of mafia association, murder, extortion, usury, fictitious heading of assets, money laundering and other crimes aggravated by the mafia.
Among those arrested - as Gratteri recalled - there are also politicians, lawyers, accountants, infidel state officials and Masons. Among them also the former senator of Forza Italy Giancarlo Pittelli, lawyer, Gianluca Callipo, mayor of Pizzo Calabro (VV) and regional president of the Anci. Among those arrested was the former regional councilor of the Margherita and then Pd, Pietro Giamborino.
Pittelli: "Hinge between companies, politics and gangs"
Pittelli reads in the order "it was the link between business, politics and things". And yet, the former senator received "confidential information from men of institutions and law enforcement".
At the same time as the order for precautionary detention, the carabinieri also notified a seizure order for a value of about 15 million euros. The impressive operation, the result of investigations that lasted for years, in addition to Calabria affects various regions of Italy where the 'ndrangheta vibonese has branched: Lombardi, Piedmont, Veneto, Liguria, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, Sicily, Puglia, Campania and Basilicata. Some suspects have been located and arrested in Germany, Switzerland and Bulgaria in collaboration with local police forces and in execution of a European arrest warrant issued by the judicial authority of Catanzaro. The operation involves 2,500 carabinieri from the Ros and provincial command units also supported by units of the GIS, the Paratroopers Regiment, the Helifed Off-the-Shelter Squadron, the mobile departments, aerial vehicles and canine units.
"Provision of 13.500 pages"
Several armored trucks, departing from a secret location, brought the necessary documentation to Catanzaro for the "Rinascita Scott" operation, which from the early hours of this morning made it possible to deal the hardest blow to the 'Ndrangheta in recent years.
The number of printed pages is impressive: the entire measure consists of 13,500 pages and the judge's order for the preliminary investigations of 263. Overall, therefore, more than five million sheets have been printed, necessary to compose the measures to be notified to suspects. All this took place in a secret location, far from Calabria, to avoid leaks.
Political reactions
"Historical day for the fight against the 'Ndrangheta. 334 arrests, 416 suspects, about 3,000 agents involved. These are the numbers of the maxiblitz that has dismantled all the gangs of the Vibonese. Numbers that show a strong state more than ever. One word to the investigators : thank you". Thus on Twitter the deputy Chief Minister of the 5 Star Movement in the Chamber Francesco D'Uva.
Fico: "Fighting organized crime is a priority for the country"
"The fight against organized crime is the country's priority. I congratulate and thank the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Catanzaro and the Carabinieri del Ros and the Command of Vibo Valentia for the conclusion of an impressive operation against the 'Ndrangheta which led to more than three hundred arrests, dismantling a criminal network starting from the Calabria branched out in many regions of Italy and abroad. Today is an important day for the State ". This is how the president of the Chamber, Roberto Fico.
Mangialavori: "A feral blow to all the 'ndrangheta clans"
"The one scored this morning is a feral blow to all the 'ndrangheta clans which infest Calabria, Italy and many parts of Europe. To the procurator of Catanzaro Nicola Gratteri, to the magistrates of the Dda and to the soldiers engaged in the operation is the thanks of all the honest citizens who have chosen to be on the side of the State and of legality ". Thus the senator and member of the parliamentary commission Antimafia Giuseppe Mangialavori.
Verini: "Operation of great value"
"The operation ordered by the Public Prosecutor of Catanzaro and conducted by the police of the Ros and by the Provincial Command of Vibo Valentia against the 'ndrangheta, is of great value. To all of them and to all the police goes our applause and our gratitude "It is the umpteenth demonstration of the ramifications and pervasiveness of organized crime that cannot be addressed and fought only in a local logic. Also for this reason we hope to strengthen all the instruments for combating the mafias also at European level. Contrast to economic interests of the criminal organizations, control of the territory, affirmation of a culture of legality starting from schools are the necessary tools to face this real war. We need a choral commitment against this threat to civil coexistence ". This is how Walter Verini, head of the Democratic Party.
Salvini: "Blitz is good for Calabria"
"Thanks to the Police Forces for this cleaning operation that is good for Calabria. I look forward to the regional elections on January 26th to offer even this splendid land the good governance, efficiency and honesty of the League ". Matteo Salvini says it, commenting on the maxi blitz against the 'ndrangheta that triggered 334 arrests in Italy and abroad.