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Antonio Macrì (; – January 20, 1975), popularly known as ("Unca Tony"), was a historical and charismatic boss of the
'Ndrangheta The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate and secret society, criminal society based in the peninsular and mountainous region of Calabria and dating back to the late 18th century. It is considered one of ...
, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in
Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. He was born in
Siderno Siderno ( scn, label= Calabrian, Sidernu or ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy, about 3 kilometres from Locri. Some notable people from Siderno are Marco stalteri, Patrizia lunch s ...
on the Ionian coast of
Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
and was the
capobastone The Capobastone is a high-ranking 'Ndrangheta who is in charge of a 'ndrina. It is the Calabrian equivalent for the Sicilian ''Capomandamento''. Rule In a 'ndrina, the Capobastone make the most important decisions, and report only at the "Capo ...
(head of command) of the ''
'ndrine The 'ndrina (, plural: ; , plural: ) is the basic unit of the 'Ndrangheta of Calabria, made up of blood relatives, and is the equivalent of the Sicilian Mafia’s "family" or ''cosca''.Varese, How Mafias Migrate'Gratteri & Nicaso ''Fratelli di s ...
'' in his hometown.


Criminal career

Antonio Macrì was one of the most powerful bosses belonging to the 'old guard'. In Siderno he was well known as the true authority in his town. In 1929 he was charged with illegal firearms, in 1932 for grievous bodily harm, in 1945 for robbery with violence, in 1947 for attempted murder and in 1958 for murder with aggravating circumstances.Arlacchi, ''Mafia Business'', p. 20 Macrì held the position of
capo crimine A capocrimine is the elected boss of the ''crimine'', an annual meeting of the 'Ndrangheta ''locali'' near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in the municipality of San Luca during the September Feast.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 59 At least ...
from the beginning of the 1960s until the outbreak of the first 'Ndrangheta war in 1975. Together with Domenico ''Mico'' Tripodo, the boss of the city of
Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...
and the surrounding areas, and Girolamo ''Mommo'' Piromalli, head of the most powerful ''
'ndrina The 'ndrina (, plural: ; , plural: ) is the basic unit of the 'Ndrangheta of Calabria, made up of blood relatives, and is the equivalent of the Sicilian Mafia’s "family" or ''cosca''.Varese, How Mafias Migrate'Gratteri & Nicaso ''Fratelli di ...
'' on the Tyrrhenian coast, he formed a sort of triumvirate, whose senior position was recognized by all other family chiefs and whose advice was in most cases followed without protest.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 60 He also had close relations with the
Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia, also simply known as the Mafia and frequently referred to as Cosa nostra (, ; "our thing") by its members, is an Italian Mafia-terrorist-type organized crime syndicate and criminal society originating in the region of Sicily a ...
, in particular with
Michele Navarra Michele Navarra (; 5 January 1905 – 2 August 1958) was an Italian member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was a qualified physician and headed the Mafia family from the town of Corleone in Sicily. He was known as u patri nostru'' (our father) ...
, at the time the capomafia of
Corleone Corleone (; scn, Cunigghiuni or ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of roughly 11,158 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily. Several Mafia bosses have come from Corleone, including Tommy Gagliano, Gaetano Reina, Jack Dragn ...
, when Navarra was banished by the Italian authorities to Gioiosa Marina in Calabria in the 1950s.E ora la ’ndrangheta supera cosa nostra: Intervista a Enzo Ciconte
Polizia e democrazia, November–December 2007
Later he counted
Luciano Liggio 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 with th ...
, Salvatore and
Angelo La Barbera Angelo La Barbera (; July 3, 1924 – October 28, 1975) was a powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia. Together with his brother Salvatore La Barbera he ruled the Mafia family of Palermo Centro. Salvatore La Barbera sat on the first Sicilian Mafia C ...
,
Pietro Torretta Pietro Torretta (ca. 1912 – October 3, 1975) was a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was the boss of the Mafia family in the Uditore district in Palermo and one of the protagonists in the First Mafia War. He was initially considered to be the m ...
and the Grecos among his friends. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue''
p.55
/ref> Macrì was involved in expanding the local 'Ndrangheta internationally, in particular Canada and Australia. He urged Michele (Mike) Racco, who had been initiated to the local 'ndrina and moved to Canada in the early 1950s, to set up an organisation in Canada. Different clans originally from Siderno formed what has been called the
Siderno Group The Siderno Group is a criminal association in Canada, Australia and Italy related to the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organization in Calabria. The association is labelled the "Siderno Group" because its members primarily came from the town of Sidern ...
by Canadian law enforcement authorities.Myths, Legends, and Affiliation Practices in the Italian Mafioso Imagery: the Local Dimension of Power of a Global Phenomenon
by Ercole Giap Parini, paper prepared for the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) at the Conference in Marburg, 2003


Tradition and modernization

Macrì opposed new criminal activities such as kidnappings and drug trafficking. However, several cosche of
Platì Platì (; scn, label=Central-Southern Calabrian, Calabrian, Pratì) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria, southern Italy. It rises above sea level on the slope of the Aspromonte mountains and is ...
,
San Luca San Luca is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about east of Reggio Calabria. The town is situated on the eastern slopes of the Aspromonte mount ...
, and the
Gioia Tauro Gioia Tauro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria (Italy), on the Tyrrhenian coast. It has an important port, situated along the route connecting Suez to Gibraltar, one of the busiest maritime corridors in t ...
plain did engage in these activities and Macrì had no means by which to prevent or punish these violations of the traditional mafia code. (Both the crimine and its charismatic leaders depended on the consensus and cooperation of the individual 'Ndrangheta families and relied on the good will of single family bosses to have the codes obeyed). Nevertheless, Macrì also was a proponent of modernization, representing a qualitative step in expanding traditional parasitic criminal activities of extortion to a more entrepreneurial phase. When in 1974, businesses, involved in the expansion of the port and steelworks in
Gioia Tauro Gioia Tauro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria (Italy), on the Tyrrhenian coast. It has an important port, situated along the route connecting Suez to Gibraltar, one of the busiest maritime corridors in t ...
, offered a three per cent kickback to be left in peace, the three leading 'Ndrangheta families at the time, Macrì, the Piromalli brothers and the De Stefano brothers, rejected the offer and wanted to be sub-contracted on work carried out in order to control the projects.Arlacchi, ''Mafia Business'', p. 106 Nevertheless, the growing tensions among 'Ndrangheta clans reached a boiling point at the meeting to discuss the deal. Tripodo and his former underling
Giorgio De Stefano Giorgio Carmelo De Stefano (; Reggio Calabria, unknown – ) was an Italian mobster and high-ranking boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation in Calabria (southern Italy). Together with his brothers Paolo, Giovanni and Orazio he ...
exchanged insults that almost escalated in a violent confrontation, only just prevented by peacemaker Macrì.Dickie, ''Mafia Republic: Italy's Criminal Curse'',
pp. 137-40
/ref>


Death

Macrì was a traditional 'Ndrangheta
capobastone The Capobastone is a high-ranking 'Ndrangheta who is in charge of a 'ndrina. It is the Calabrian equivalent for the Sicilian ''Capomandamento''. Rule In a 'ndrina, the Capobastone make the most important decisions, and report only at the "Capo ...
who, together with Tripodo, opposed new developments in the organisation such as the formation of the
Santa Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...
, 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 Salvatore may refer to: * Salvatore (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people with the name * "Salvatore" (song), by Lana Del Rey, 2015 * Salvatore (band), a Norwegian instrumental rock band * '' Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams' ...
, in ''I delitti di criminalità organizzata'', Quaderni del Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura N. 99
The disagreement led to bloodshed in the so-called
First 'Ndrangheta war The First 'Ndrangheta war was an internal struggle in the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation in Calabria (southern Italy). The conflict raged from 1974 to 1977 and resulted in approximately 233 deaths.Dickie, ''Mafia Republic: Italy's ...
. On January 20, 1975, Macrì was shot to death in his hometown Siderno, while his right-hand man Francesco Commisso was severely wounded. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue''
p.58
/ref> His death triggered the 'Ndrangheta war that cost some 300 lives. According to a state witness, one of his 'executioners' was a young
Pasquale Condello Pasquale Condello (; born 24 September 1950) is an Italian criminal known as a member of the 'Ndrangheta. He is also known as ("the supreme one") for his role at the top of the crime syndicate.De Stefano 'ndrina The De Stefano 'ndrina, or the De Stefano family or De Stefano-Tegano family, is one of the most powerful clans of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina hailed from the Archi neighbourhood in Reg ...
.Godfather's arrest fuels fear of bloody conflict
The Observer, February 24, 2008
Macrì may have paid for his opposition to kidnappings and drug trafficking with his life, as his murder was presumably organized by the supporters of a change of modus operandi of the 'Ndrangheta. His son Vincenzo Macrì was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2018 after being convicted in Locri, Italy, of
Mafia association In Italian law, Article 41-bis of the Prison Administration Act, also known as carcere duro ("hard prison regime"), is a provision that allows the Minister of Justice or the Minister of the Interior to suspend certain prison regulations. Currently ...
. Prosecutors had originally sought a 30-year-term for Macri, who earlier served 13 years in American prisons for drug trafficking. His sentence was reduced to 15 years after appeal.


References

*Arlacchi, Pino (1988). ''Mafia Business. The Mafia Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism'', Oxford: Oxford University Press *Dickie, John (2013).
Mafia Republic: Italy's Criminal Curse. Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta and Camorra from 1946 to the Present
', London: Hodder & Stoughton, * Gratteri, Nicola & Antonio Nicaso (2006).
Fratelli di Sangue
', Cosenza: Luigi Pellegrini Editore *Paoli, Letizia (2003).
Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style
', New York: Oxford University Press

by Klaus Von Lampe)

by Alexandra V. Orlova) {{DEFAULTSORT:Macri, Antonio 1900s births 1975 deaths People from Siderno 'Ndranghetisti Murdered 'Ndranghetisti Canadian gangsters of Italian descent Murdered Canadian gangsters People murdered in Italy 1975 murders in Italy