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Ramacca Mafia Family
The Ramacca Mafia family is a crime family of the Cosa Nostra, operating primarily in the town of Ramacca, Sicily. With roots tracing back to the 1950s under the leadership of Calogero Conti, the family established itself through activities such as extortion, infiltration of public contracts, and political influence. Over the decades, the Ramacca Mafia has maintained control over local economic interests while fostering alliances with powerful neighboring families and political figures to strengthen its grip on the territory. History Origins The mafia presence in Ramacca traces back to the 1950s with Calogero “Liddu” Conti emerging as its central figure. Described by key informants such as Antonino Calderone and Francesco Di Carlo, Conti was regarded as the head of the mafia in Ramacca and vice-representative of Cosa Nostra for the province of Catania. He also maintained significant ties with the Corleonesi, including Luciano Leggio, Toto Riina, and Bernardo Provenzano, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calogero Conti
Calogero Conti (1924 – 4 September 2020), commonly referred to as "''Zu Liddu''," was a prominent Sicilian mafioso, historically identified as the ''capo'' of the Ramacca Mafia family. Criminal career Calogero Conti, born in 1924, was described by multiple state witnesses, including the well-known pentiti Antonino Calderone and Francesco Di Carlo, as the head of the mafia family in Ramacca and the deputy representative of Cosa Nostra for the province of Catania. Calderone, in testimony given in April 1987 before Judge Giovanni Falcone and Vice-Commissioner Antonio Manganelli in Marseille, emphasized Conti’s strong ties to the Corleonesi, particularly to Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Toto Riina, and Bernardo Provenzano Bernardo Provenzano (; 31 January 1933 – 13 July 2016) was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia clan known as the Corleonesi, a Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone, and ''de facto'' the boss of bosses ("''il .... These re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toto Riina
Salvatore Riina (; 16 November 1930 – 17 November 2017), called Totò ( sicilian diminutive of Salvatore), was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia, known for a ruthless murder campaign that reached a peak in the early 1990s with the assassinations of Antimafia Commission prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, resulting in widespread public outcry, legal change and a major crackdown by the authorities. He was also known by the nicknames ''la belva'' ("the beast") and ''il capo dei capi'' (Sicilian: '''u capu di 'i capi'', "the boss of bosses"). Riina succeeded Luciano Leggio as head of the Corleonesi criminal organisation in the mid-1970s and achieved dominance through a campaign of violence, which caused police to target his rivals. Riina had been a fugitive since the late 1960s after he was indicted on a murder charge. He was less vulnerable to law enforcement's reaction to his methods, as the policing removed many of the established chiefs who had t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1950s Establishments In Italy
Year 195 ( CXCV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Scrapula and Clemens (or, less frequently, year 948 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 195 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * Emperor Septimius Severus has the Roman Senate deify the previous emperor Commodus, in an attempt to gain favor with the family of Marcus Aurelius. * King Vologases V and other eastern princes support the claims of Pescennius Niger. The Roman province of Mesopotamia rises in revolt with Parthian support. Severus marches to Mesopotamia to battle the Parthians. * The Roman province of Syria is divided and the role of Antioch is diminished. The Romans annex the Syrian cities of Edessa and Nisibis. Severus re-establishes his headquarters and the colonies the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale
The Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale (ROS), or Special Operations Group, is part of the Italian Carabinieri. History Founded on 3 December 1990 to coordinate investigative activities against organized crime, it is now the main investigative arm of the Carabinieri, dealing with organized crime and mafia. The ROS reports directly to the Carabinieri General Command. It was created from the remains of the Special Anti-terrorism Unit, built up in the 1970s by General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa to combat terrorism in Italy. It had centers in Genoa, Naples, Milan, Padua, Rome and Turin. Having defeated the Red Brigades in the 1980s, the Special Anti-terrorism Unit was also employed to investigate organized crime. Organization The ROS command center coordinates the activities of 26 regional anti-crime sections. The headquarters is organized as follows: * Commanding Officer ** Command Office ** Anti-terrorism Department ** Violent Crimes Department ** Technical Investigations Departmen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palagonia
Palagonia ( Sicilian: ''Palaunìa'', Latin: ''Palica'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about southwest of Catania. Palagonia borders the following municipalities: Lentini, Militello in Val di Catania, Mineo, Ramacca. Palagonia is well known for the cultivation of oranges. The main catholic church is the Chiesa Madre San Pietro Apostolo San Pietro Apostolo (Central-Southern Calabrian, Calabrian: ) is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy. It is about northwest of Catanzaro, the provincial capital. It is surrounded by the villages of .... See also * Palagonia double homicide References External links Official website [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catania Mafia Clan
The Catania Mafia family, currently also referred to as the Santapaola-Ercolano Mafia clan, is a crime family of the Cosa Nostra that dominates organized crime activities in the city of Catania and its province. The Catania Mafia quietly evolved into one of the most powerful and violent factions within the Cosa Nostra. Rooted in family ties and political connections, the organization emerged from the shadows in the mid-20th century under the leadership of Giuseppe Calderone, only to become a militarized empire under his former ally and eventual successor, Benedetto Santapaola. What began as a local effort to control gambling dens and extort businesses soon escalated into a ruthless criminal dynasty, whose influence reached deep into the economic and institutional fabric of Catania. Today, the Catania Mafia remains a powerful force, still controlled by the Santapaola-Ercolano clan. The organization has adapted to modern times, maintaining influence through extortion, drug trafficki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vincenzo Aiello
Vincenzo Aiello (born in 1953) is an Italian mafioso from Catania. Often operating from behind the scenes, he has long been considered a trusted associate and loyal confidant of Nitto Santapaola, the former undisputed boss of the Catania Mafia family. Criminal career In 1992, Aiello was reportedly part of a delegation that met with prominent Corleonesi figures, Giovanni Brusca, Leoluca Bagarella, and Antonino Gioè, to sanction the affiliation of Santo Mazzei into the Catania Mafia family. Following Santapaola's arrest in 1993, Aiello was allegedly appointed as his successor. However, his leadership was short-lived. After an eight-month period as a fugitive, Aiello was arrested in August 1994 during the "Orsa Maggiore" anti-mafia operation, the most extensive investigation into organised crime ever conducted in Catania at the time. Aiello resurfaced in the news in October 2009, when he was arrested during a clandestine mafia summit in San Pietro Clarenza. The gathering, reporte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caltagirone Mafia Clan
The Caltagirone Mafia family, also known as the La Rocca Mafia clan, is a crime family of the Cosa Nostra based in the town of Caltagirone, Sicily. Founded in the early 1980s by Francesco "Ciccio" La Rocca, the Mafia clan rose to prominence through its involvement in various illicit activities, including extortion, drug trafficking, and political manipulation. History Until the early 1980s, criminal control over the city of Caltagirone and the surrounding area was exercised by the Catania Mafia family. However, the consolidation of a local criminal structure occurred in 1982, with Francesco "Ciccio" La Rocca, who succeeded in establishing an autonomous Mafia family rooted in the town of San Michele di Ganzaria, just outside Caltagirone. Francesco “Ciccio” La Rocca, born in 1938, became affiliated with Cosa Nostra in 1956 at the age of 18. From modest beginnings as a livestock farmer, he would rise to become an important Mafia boss. This move marked the beginning of local ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francesco La Rocca
Francesco "Ciccio" La Rocca (1938 – 22 December 2020) was a notorious Sicilian mafioso and the first capo of the Caltagirone Mafia family, known for his brutal methods, strategic mediation between mafia factions, and influential role in regional criminal and political affairs. History Born in 1938 in San Michele di Ganzaria, in the province of Catania, La Rocca's criminal career began in the 1950s, when he was initiated into the mafia at the age of 18 by Calogero Conti, then head of the Ramacca Mafia family. Initially assigned as a "soldato" in the Mazzarino Mafia family, which is part of the Riesi mandamento, his rise through the ranks was marked by strategic mediation, strict adherence to traditional Cosa Nostra codes, and a brutal reputation. In 1982, after two decades within the Mazzarino Mafia, La Rocca established his own autonomous Mafia family in Caltagirone, closely aligned with the Catania Mafia family, headed by Benedetto Santapaola. Following a violent mafi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernardo Provenzano
Bernardo Provenzano (; 31 January 1933 – 13 July 2016) was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia clan known as the Corleonesi, a Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone, and ''de facto'' the boss of bosses ("''il capo dei capi''"). His nickname was ''Binnu u tratturi'' ( Sicilian for "Bernie the tractor") because, in the words of one informant, "he mows people down".Profile: Bernardo Provenzano , BBC News, 11 April 2006. Another nickname was ''il ragioniere'' ("the accountant"), due to his apparently subtle and low-key approach to running his crime empire, at least in contrast to some of his more violent predecessors. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luciano Leggio
Luciano Leggio (; 6 January 1925 – 15 November 1993) was an Italian criminal and leading figure of the Sicilian Mafia. He was the head of the Corleonesi, the Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone. He is universally known by the surname Liggio, a result of a misspelling in court documents in the 1960s. As well as setting the Corleonesi on track to become the dominant Mafia clan in Sicily, he became infamous for avoiding convictions for a multitude of crimes, including homicide, before he was finally imprisoned for life in 1974. Early life Leggio was one of ten children raised in extreme poverty on a small farm. He turned to crime in his teens and received his first conviction at the age of 18 for stealing corn. Upon completing his six-month sentence for the crime, Leggio murdered the man who had reported him to the police. In 1945, he was recruited by the Mafia boss of Corleone, Michele Navarra, to work as an enforcer and hitman. That same year, Leggio mu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramacca
Ramacca is a ''comune'' (municipality) in a mountainous area in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region of Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about southwest of Catania. It lies west of the Plain of Catania. Ramacca borders the following municipalities: Agira, Aidone, Assoro, Belpasso, Castel di Judica, Lentini, Mineo, Palagonia, Paternò, Raddusa. Its name derives from the Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ... ''Rahal Mohac'', which means ''Hamlet of Mohac''. Ramacca is home to the ''Sagra del Carciofo'', an artichoke festival held every April. The city's economy is largely based on the cultivation of artichokes. References Cities and towns in Sicily {{Sicily-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
