“Among the trends that Cosa Nostra have in common, one cannot overlook the boom coming from very young new recruitsto join, if not replace, the previous criminal generation”. The quote from Dia’s report, which actually dates back several years, is extremely timely in describing the structures of the Catania mafia.
Unfortunately, the shooting in Viale Medaglie d’Oro could be a sign of how easily young recruits take up arms also to regulate purely private matters. The twenty-two-year-old nephew of good standing of a historical exponent of the Cursoti Milanesi was beaten and pistol-gunned for reasons unknown to the chroniclers, but whoever acted wanted to issue a warning. The investigators have no doubt about that. The problem to be “smoothed” may have just been the straw that broke the camel’s back. There could be tensions between criminal groups that have been left in the hands of little more than children after the various raids and arrests. Who, unfortunately, have weapons at their disposal and are ready to use them. Without thinking too much about it.
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THE CASE
Let’s not forget what happened at Ecs Dogana last spring: A very young man from the Intravaia current, from the Mazzei mafia family, blocked the performance of the trapper Niko Pandetta (in opera prison for a few months) and provoked the reaction of Turi Cappello’s nephew, who allegedly asked Sebastiano “Piripicchio” Miano – a loner of the Cappellos – to take revenge by “arming” his picciotti. And so, last April, Via Dusmet became a powder keg. Shots left and right, injuring a minor and an 18-year-old. The interception of the Flying Squad after the pistol shots made it clear that the threat of war was real.
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the case
Miano is the son of a Santa Paolian who died of natural causes a few decades ago. Intravaia is a surname not to be underestimated in the Catania mafia scene; In fact, this is the name of Nuccio Mazzei’s sister’s husband. Some of the people involved in the shooting in front of the harbor disco are teenagers who feel “grown up” for their loved ones. Having a father, grandfather, brother, cousin in prison almost becomes “a source of pride”.
These “kids of art” of organized crime – to quote Dia’s report for the second half of 2016 again – they very often walk around armed. One of the nephews of the boss Roberto Vacante, head of the Cosa Nostra family (he is married to the daughter of the late Salvatore Santapaola) and for several years under the 41 bis, was arrested by the Carabinieri at the end of April because he went to the “Cucaracha” with a 6.35 caliber pistol with one round in the barrel and six rounds in the magazine. At that time, an off-duty carbine understood that a lively discussion was going on, involving about fifteen people, including Vacante jr. The investigative unit soldier asked his colleagues to intervene to prevent the situation from escalating.
These are recent cases only. But over the past year, various parts of the city have witnessed violent demonstrations in perfect Gomorrah style: gunfire in the air to mark territory and show who’s in charge. But there have also been injuries at several drug dealers, some even at home.
There are twenty-somethings with fancy surnames who were willing to kill, too: Natalino Nice (son of the Santa Paolian boss Giovanni, nephew of the gentleman Daniele, the pentito Fabrizio and the drug dealer Andrea) and his partner Sam Privitera would have ordered according to the baby killer Michael and Ninni Sanfilippo two years ago, the murder of the Pusher Enzo Timonieri.
In the cursed summer of 2020, the thirst for revenge prompted Salvuccio Jr. Lombardo, son of “u ciuraru” (related to Turi Cappello), to turn Viale Grimaldi into a warfront against the Cursoti Milanese. There were two deaths.
This new generation of criminals would mainly make their money from drugs. The name of Antonino Battaglia, nephew of Santo, historical regent of the Cosa Nostra group of the village of Sant’Agata, also emerged from various investigations.
With some releases from old bosses, the scenario seemed to have moved from violent mayhem to mafia diplomacy. but in the last six months there have been operations that have brought the vacuum back to the top ranks of criminals. And that makes room for the “hotheads” who act without the authorization of the imprisoned bosses and do not abide by “the Cosa Nostra code”.
What the old mafia bosses think of these new recruits can best be understood by intercepting the lightning report against the Laudanis. This is how she defined the wife of a follower of the clan: «…Sti four stupids! The money has piled up.”
The President of the Juvenile Court of Catania, Roberto Di Bella, said in every way that to fight the Mafia we must offer alternatives to young people. In some neighborhoods the children have the godfather Nitto Santapaola as their “myth”. In prison since 1993.
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