Domenico Tripodo (; − August 26, 1976) was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
criminal and a historical and charismatic boss of the
'Ndrangheta
The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a mafia-type organized crime, criminal syndicate originating from the Calabria region of Italy. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', pp. 65–68 This body, also referred to as the Commission in reference to the ...
dominating the city of
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
and the surrounding areas. Also known as Don Mico Tripodo, he was one of the most powerful 'Ndrangheta bosses of his time, held in high respect by his criminal associates.
Powerful ‘Ndrangheta boss
Tripodo rose to power by ousting the old Reggio boss
Domenico Strati after a two-year conflict in 1958-59.
[Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 50] In the 1960s, he formed a sort of triumvirate with
Antonio Macrì
Antonio Macrì (; – 20 January 1975), popularly known as ("Unca Tony"), 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 Calabr ...
, the boss of the city of
Siderno
Siderno ( or ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy, about 3 kilometres from Locri.
Siderno Marina is the newer town located on the Ionian coast. It is a destination for both Italian ...
and
Girolamo ''Mommo'' Piromalli, head of the most powerful ''
'ndrina'' on the
Tyrrhenian coast. The triumvirate’s senior position was recognized by all other family chiefs and its advice was, in most cases, followed without protest.
[Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 60]
Tripodo acquired considerable financial resources through tobacco smuggling.
[ He had relations with the ]Sicilian Mafia
The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a secret society, criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of ...
and was the "compare d’anello" (a kind of best man and trusted friend) of Mafia boss Totò Riina at his wedding in 1974. According to Enzo Ciconte, a specialist on the 'Ndrangheta and a consultant for the Antimafia Commission
The Antimafia Commission () is a bicameral commission of the Italian Parliament, composed of members from the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The first commission, formed in 1963, was established as a body of inquiry tasked wi ...
, that would only be possible if they were considered to be of the same rank.[E ora la ’ndrangheta supera cosa nostra: Intervista a Enzo Ciconte]
, Polizia e democrazia, November–December 2007
Leadership challenged
Don Mico was a traditional 'Ndrangheta capobastone who, together with Macrì, was opposed to new developments in the organisation such as the entry into kidnapping and drug trafficking,[Relazione mafie nel Lazio: Le famiglie mafiose operanti nel Lazio]
LiberaInformazione as well as the formation of the Santa, a secret society within the 'Ndrangheta established in the early 1970s to maximize the power and invisibility of the most important bosses.[L’atteggiarsi delle associazioni mafiose sulla base delle esperienze processuali acquisite: la ’ndrangheta]
, by Salvatore Boemi, in ''I delitti di criminalità organizzata'', Quaderni del Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura N. 99[La criminalità organizzata dalle origini ai giorni nostri]
Polizia Moderna, May 2008
Tripodo was opposed by his former underbosses in Reggio, the De Stefano brothers. They won a monopoly of construction work in northern Reggio Calabria, moving the rival Tripodo group out of the market of public work contracts with the support of the Piromalli and Mammolito clans.[Arlacchi, ''Mafia Business'', p. 156] They also robbed a shipment of smuggled tobacco belonging to Tripodo.[ The various disagreement led to bloodshed in the First 'Ndrangheta war, which took place in 1974-76. Tripodo tried to strike first, killing Giovanni De Stefano in 1974.][
]
Arrest and death
Tripodo did not see the end of the conflict. He was arrested on February 21, 1975, and incarcerated in the Poggioreale prison in Naples. On August 26, 1976, he was stabbed to death in prison on the request of the De Stefano crime family with the help of boss Raffaele Cutolo
Raffaele Cutolo (; 4 November 1941 – 17 February 2021) was an Italian crime boss and leader of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata (NCO), an organisation he built to renew the Camorra. Cutolo had a variety of nicknames including o Vangelo'' ("th ...
, the boss of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata
The Nuova Camorra Organizzata (in English: New Organized Camorra) was an Italian Camorra criminal organization founded in the late 1970s by a Neapolitan Camorrista, Raffaele Cutolo, in the region of Campania. It was also known by the initials N ...
(NCO) who worked with the De Stefanos in drug trafficking.[Un dirigente mafioso es apuñalado en una cárcel de Nápoles]
El País, August 27, 1976[, Nisio Palmieri, Dossier della Fondazione Cesar e dell’Associazione Sicurstrada per conto della Consulta Nazionale dei Consigli Regionali Unipol Assicurazioni] Paolo De Stefano
Paolo De Stefano (; died October 13, 1985) was an Italian mobster and member of the 'Ndrangheta who became the undisputed boss of Reggio Calabria. Together with his brothers Giovanni, Giorgio and Orazio he headed the De Stefano 'ndrina.
Earl ...
emerged as the new leader of the Reggio Calabria 'Ndrangheta.[Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 114]
After the defeat, his son Carmelo Tripodo first moved to north Italy, later to Caserta
Caserta ( ; ) is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. An important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city, Caserta is located 36 kilometres north of Naples on the edge of the Campanian p ...
in Campania
Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...
, and finally in 1992 to Fondi
Fondi (; Southern Laziale: ''Fùnn'') is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. As of 2017, the city had a population of 39,800. The city has experienced steady population growth si ...
in Lazio
Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
. He allied himself with the Calabrian Imerti- Condello clan, historical enemies of the De Stefanos. He was arrested on October 30, 1996, in Rome on charges of extortion and usury
Usury () is the practice of making loans that are seen as unfairly enriching the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is charged in e ...
.[
]
References
*Arlacchi, Pino (1988). ''Mafia Business. The Mafia Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism'', Oxford: Oxford University Press
*Paoli, Letizia (2003).
Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style
', New York: Oxford University Press
by Klaus Von Lampe)
by Alexandra V. Orlova)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tripodo, Domenico
1920s births
1976 deaths
People from Reggio Calabria
Murdered 'Ndranghetisti
People murdered in 1976
20th-century Italian criminals
People murdered in Campania