Sebastiano Romeo (8 January 1931 – 19 January 1998), also known as ''U Staccu'', was a historical

'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 ...

boss from San Luca in

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

. His family was allied with others in the Pelle-Romeo-Vottari clan and he was a member of the Vangelo, an exclusive high rank within the 'Ndrangheta. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', p. 74 He also became a member of '' Camera di Controllo'', a provincial commission of the 'Ndrangheta, formed at the end of the Second 'Ndrangheta war in September 1991 to avoid further internal conflicts.Sentenza procedimento penale Olimpia
''Tribunale di Reggio Calabria'', January 19, 1999 He was involved in drug trafficking and the dumping of toxic and radioactive waste off the coast in Italy.Complotto sotto il mare
by Riccardo Bocca, ''L'Espresso'', September 17, 2009 According to the 'Ndrangheta turncoat (

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 ...

) Francesco Fonti, Romeo was involved in attempts to locate the place in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

where the Christian Democrat politician and former Prime Minister

Aldo Moro Aldo Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and prominent member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC) and its centre-left wing. He served as prime minister of Italy in five terms from December 1963 ...

was held by the militant communist group the

Red Brigades The Red Brigades ( , often abbreviated BR) were an Italian far-left Marxist–Leninist militant group. It was responsible for numerous violent incidents during Italy's Years of Lead, including the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro in 1978, ...

after they had kidnapped him on 16 March 1978. Romeo had been asked by unnamed national and Calabrian Christian Democrats such as Riccardo Misasi and Vito Napoli to help out.'Io boss, cercai di salvare Moro'
''L'espresso'', September 22, 2009 With the help of the Italian military intelligence agency

SISMI (; , ) was the military intelligence agency of Italy from 1977 to 2007. With the reform of the Italian Intelligence Services approved on 1 August 2007, SISMI was replaced by Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna (AISE).Legislative Act n.12 ...

and the criminal organisation the Banda della Magliana Fonti was able to locate the house where Moro was kept. When he reported to Romeo, the latter said that he had done a good job but that important politicians in Rome had changed their minds. Moro's body was found later after he was shot. Sebastiano Romeo died at home on 19 January 1998, at the age of 67. He was under house arrest due to medical problems. He was succeeded by his son Antonio Romeo, assisted by Sebastiano's brother, who also is named Antonio Romeo. His son was arrested on 26 June 1998.

References

* Gratteri, Nicola & Antonio Nicaso (2006). ''Fratelli di Sangue'', Cosenza: Luigi Pellegrini Editore 1931 births 1998 deaths 'Ndranghetisti People from San Luca {{italy-crime-bio-stub