Antonio Imerti (; born on August 22, 1946 in
Villa San Giovanni), also known as ''Nano feroce'' ("fierce dwarf"), is an
Italian criminal and a member 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 ...
, the
Calabria
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n mafia. He was born in Villa San Giovanni and controlled the Fiumara di Muro neighbourhood in
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 ...
.
Life as a fugitive
He was one of the protagonists in the
Second 'Ndrangheta war which raged from 1985 to 1991 between the
Condello-Imerti clan and the
De Stefano-Tegano clan, which left 621 deaths.
[Godfather's arrest fuels fear of bloody conflict]
The Observer, February 24, 2008 His marriage in 1983 with Giuseppina Condello – the sister of the
Condello brothers, underbosses of
Paolo De Stefano – triggered the conflict. The De Stefano clan feared the new alliance might challenge their power base. The conflict exploded in 1985, two years after the marriage and saw practically all 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 the city of Reggio Calabria grouped into either one of two opposing factions.
[Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', pp. 88-89][Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di sangue'', p. 65]
The war started with a failed bomb attack on Antonio Imerti on October 11, 1985, which left three of his bodyguards dead.
[Si e' salvato soltanto il boss]
La Repubblica, October 13, 1985 Two days later, his rival Paolo De Stefano was killed and suspicion fell on Imerti as the one who ordered the killing.
La Repubblica, October 15, 1985
Disappearance and capture
Imerti escaped a second bomb attack on July 7, 1986, and subsequently became a fugitive. He was arrested on March 23, 1993, in
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 ...
, together with his brother-in-law
Pasquale Condello. Newspaper reports mentioned that Condello might have surpassed his former boss – and there had been speculation that Condello might have killed Imerti when they both were still fugitives. However, although the speculation proved to be false, Imerti's power had declined because of his opposition to a '
pax mafiosa' to end the war between the opposing clans in Reggio Calabria.
[Manette al capocosca "Nanu Feroce" Imerti e al cognato]
Corriere della Sera, March 24, 1993
La Repubblica, March 24, 1993
References
External links
* Gratteri, Nicola & Antonio Nicaso (2006).
Fratelli di sangue', Cosenza: 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:Imerti, Antonio
1946 births
Fugitives
Fugitives wanted by Italy
Living people
'Ndranghetisti
People from the Province of Reggio Calabria