Andrea Manciaracina (; born 7 April 1962), sometimes spelt Mangiaracina, is a member of Sicilian

Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

. He was born in

Mazara del Vallo Mazara del Vallo (; is a city and in the province of Trapani, northwestern Sicily, Italy. It lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river. It is an agricultural and fishing centre and its port gives shelter to the largest fi ...

in the

province of Trapani The province of Trapani (; ; officially ''libero consorzio comunale di Trapani'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by ...

. He was initiated in Cosa Nostra in 1985 or 1986. In 1992, after the arrest of Mariano Agate, he became ''reggente'' (regent) of the '' mandamento'' of Mazara del Vallo, a position he shared with Vincenzo Sinacori.Il colloquio riservato tra il sen. Giulio Andreotti e Andrea Manciaracina, svoltosi all’Hotel Hopps di Mazara del Vallo in data 19 agosto 1985
/ref> According to Sinacori, who became a

pentito ''Pentito'' (; lit. "repentant"; plural: ''pentiti'') is used colloquially to designate collaborators of justice in Italian criminal procedure terminology who were formerly part of criminal organizations and decided to collaborate with a public ...

in 1996 and started to collaborate with Italian justice, it had been Cosa Nostra boss

Totò 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 ...

who favoured the nomination of Manciaracina. His father Vito Manciaracina had been a frontman for one of Riina's companies. Father and son Manciaracina were among the few who knew how to reach the fugitive Riina. (Vito Manciaracina was initiated in 1989 and arrested on 27 May 2001 La Mafia cerca il confronto con lo Stato
, Polizia e democrazia, Nr 64, September 2001) Manciaracina's name was mentioned in the trial against

Giulio Andreotti Giulio Andreotti ( ; ; 14 January 1919 – 6 May 2013) was an Italian politician and wikt:statesman, statesman who served as the 41st prime minister of Italy in seven governments (1972–1973, 1976–1979, and 1989–1992), and was leader of th ...

. The sevenfold Prime Minister of Italy stood accused of collusion with Cosa Nostra. Investigators found that Andreotti, at the time minister of Foreign Affairs, had met Manciaracina at a meeting in Hotel Hopps in Mazara del Vallo on August 19, 1985, and held a private conversation. Initially, Andreotti denied the episode and later, when it became clear that there was undeniable proof, he claimed was not aware of the position of Manciaracina. Andreotti has been absolved from any charge in 2004.Andreotti assolto, caso chiuso
/ref> Manciaracina became part of a "directorate" that ruled Cosa Nostra since 1995 and was established by

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 ...

after

's arrest. This group "of about four to seven people met very infrequently, only when necessary, when there were strategic decisions to make."The Mafia after Provenzano-peace or all-out war?
by Philip Pullella, Reuters, 12 April 2006. Among the other members of the directorate were Salvatore Lo Piccolo from Palermo;

Benedetto Spera Benedetto Spera (; born 1 July 1934) is a member of the Sicilian Mafia and the boss of the Belmonte Mezzagno Mafia family and the '' mandamento'' of Belmonte Mezzagno in the province of Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. He was convicted ''in abs ...

from Belmonte Mezzagno; Salvatore Rinella from Trabia; Giuseppe Balsano from

Monreale Monreale (; ; Sicilian: ''Murriali'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily, Southern Italy. It is located on the slope of Monte Caputo, overlooking the very fertile valley called ''"La Conca d'oro"'' (the Golde ...

;

Matteo Messina Denaro Matteo Messina Denaro (; 26 April 1962 – 25 September 2023), also known as ''Diabolik'' (from the Italian comic book character), was an Italian mafia boss from Castelvetrano. He was considered to be one of the new leaders of the Cosa Nostra a ...

from

Castelvetrano Castelvetrano () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy. The archeological site of Selinunte is located within the municipal territory. The municipality borders with Campobello di Mazara, Mazara del Vall ...

; Vincenzo Virga from

Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the mai ...

; and

Antonino Giuffrè Antonino "Nino" Giuffrè (; born 21 July 1945) is an Italian former mafioso who later became a justice collaborator. The head of the mandamento of Caccamo, he was the second-highest ranked member of Cosa Nostra. He became one of the most importa ...

from

Caccamo Caccamo ( Sicilian: ''Càccamu'') is a town and ''comune'' located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily in the Metropolitan City of Palermo. History The official founding of Caccamo was not until 1093, when the Normans started to build the castle ...

. Oliva & Palazzolo,
L’altra mafia
'' Manciaracina had been a fugitive since 1991. Until his arrest on 31 January 2003, – with Natale Bonafede, the Mafia boss of

Marsala Marsala (, ; ) is an Italian comune located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth largest in Sicily.The town is famous for the docking of Giuseppe Garibal ...

– he was on the "

Most wanted list A most wanted list is a list of criminals and alleged criminals who are believed to be fugitive, at large and are identified as a law enforcement agency's highest priority for capture. The list can alert the public to be watchful, and generates ...

" of the 30 most dangerous criminals of the Italian Ministry of the Interior.Blitz nella villetta-covo
''La Repubblica'', 31 January 2003

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manciaracina, Andrea 1945 births Living people People from Mazara del Vallo Sicilian mafiosi