Cataldo 'ndrina
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The Cataldo 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria,
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 ...
. This particular
'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 s ...
is based in
Locri Locri is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. Its name derives from that of the ancient Greek region of Locris. Today it is an important administrative and cultural centre on the Ion ...
, a hotbed of 'Ndrangheta activity. The clan allied, with the Marafioti family, is involved in a long blood feud with the Cordì 'ndrina, from the same town, since the end of the 1960s.


Feud with Cordì clan

The feud started when historical boss of the clan, Domenico Cordì, was killed in Locri on June 23, 1967, in the so-called Piazza Mercato massacre. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue''
pp. 130-31
Two years after the killing, the Cordì clan hit back, killing Giuseppe and Domenico Marafioti, respectively the brother and son of Bruno Marafioti, boss of the clan and allied with the Cataldos. A series of hostilities continued until 1975 when the adversaries, weakened by losses on both sides, agreed to a truce. The truce fell apart, due a bomb attack on July 4, 1993, against the boss of the Cataldo clan,
Giuseppe Cataldo Giuseppe Cataldo (Locri, September 19, 1938 − Locri, May 10, 2011), also known as ''Peppe'', was an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He belonged to the Cataldo 'ndrina based in Locri. 'Ndran ...
. He was the target of a bomb which was thrown at the car driven by his wife. The car was completely destroyed, but Cataldo and his wife miraculously survived. Hostilities between the two clans resumed.Operazione Mistero / Faida di Locri, storia di inestricabili rancori
, Gazzetta del Sud, March 19, 2010
In 2010, police investigations based on intercepted conversations and government witnesses revealed that the Cordì and Cataldo clans signed a peace after a bitter feud that lasted for 40 years causing dozens of deaths. They formed a strong alliance aimed at a joint management of the crime business in the area, in particular in obtaining public work contracts and the extortion industry.
, Il Quotidiano della Calabria, November 16, 2010


Important 'Ndrangheta clan

In the 1970s, the Cataldos allied themselves with the De Stefano 'ndrina from Reggio Calabria in the
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 ...
. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue''
p.58
/ref> Giuseppe and Nicola Cataldo were part of the hit squad, which also included Vincenzo, Giuseppe and
Francesco Mazzaferro Francesco Mazzaferro (born March 29, 1940 in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica), also known as Ciccio, is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria. He belongs to the Mazzaferro clan from Marina di Gioiosa Ionica. The clan is oppos ...
, that killed the traditional 'Ndrangheta boss
Antonio Macrì Antonio Macrì (; – January 20, 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 Sea, Ionian coast ...
and wounded Francesco Commisso, Macrì's right hand man. Giuseppe Cataldo became a member of ''
La Provincia The ''Camera di Controllo'' (Board of Control), is a collegial body of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. It is also known as ''La Provincia'' (the Province) or ''Camera di Compensazione'' (compensation board). It is composed o ...
'', a provincial commission of the 'Ndrangheta, formed at the end of the
Second 'Ndrangheta war The Second 'Ndrangheta war was an internal struggle in the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal organisation in Calabria (southern Italy). The conflict raged from 1985–1991 in Reggio Calabria. Practically all the 'ndrine in the city of Reggio Calabria gro ...
in September 1991, to avoid further internal conflicts.Sentenza procedimento penale Olimpia
, Tribunale di Reggio Calabria, January 19, 1999
The Cataldo clan was also involved in cocaine trafficking from Colombia with the Sicilian
Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan The Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan () was a Mafia clan of the Cosa Nostra and held a key position in the illicit drug trade and money laundering for Cosa Nostra in the 1980s and 1990s. The Italian press baptized the clan as "The Rothschilds of the ...
. In March 1994 the Italian police seized 5497 kilogrammes of cocaine (a European record at the time) in Borgaro Torinese near Turin (the investigation was code-named Operation Cartagine). A joint venture of 'Ndrangheta clans in the trafficking included the
Barbaro 'ndrina The Barbaro 'ndrina is a powerful clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina belongs to the '' locale'' of the town of Platì. According to the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia (DIA - the Itali ...
(Platì), Ierinò 'ndrina (Gioiosa Ionica), Morabito 'ndrina (Africo), Mazzaferro 'ndrina (Gioiosa Ionica) and
Pesce 'ndrina The Pesce 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Rosarno on the Tyrrhenian coast. Powerful 'Ndrangheta clan The Pesce clan is one of the most powerful clans in th ...
(Rosarno). Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue''
pp. 136-137
/ref>


Recent developments

On December 27, 2005, Francesco Cataldo, who is considered to be the acting boss of the clan since the imprisonment of Giuseppe Cataldo, was arrested alone in a deserted house and unarmed. He was charged with commanding the killing of Salvatore Cordì on May 31, 2005, the leader of the opposing clan.'Ndrangheta, preso Cataldo il capo del clan di Locri
''La Repubblica'', December 27, 2005.
The killing of Salvatore Cordì was a retribution for the killing of the younger Giuseppe Cataldo, the namesake nephew of the clan's boss, three months earlier, on February 15, 2005.
''La Repubblica'', March 21, 2006.
On December 18, 2008, police arrested Antonio Cataldo for ordering the killing of Cordì, jointly with three of the material killers.'Ndrangheta, arrestati quattro boss accusati dell'omicidio Cordì
''La Repubblica'', December 18, 2008.
Ten days earlier, his cousin and namesake, had been arrested. He was convicted to 30 years imprisonment for drug trafficking. Catturato dalla Polizia di Stato il boss Antonio Cataldo
, Melito online, December 6, 2008.
In May 2008, 48 arrest warrants were issued against members of the Cataldo, Sergi and Marando 'ndrine for drug trafficking. The Sergi-Marando clan imported cocaine from Colombia and hashish from Morocco, while the Cataldos distributed the drugs to Lombardy,
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and
Emilia Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both also ; ; egl, Emégglia-Rumâgna or ''Emîlia-Rumâgna''; rgn, Emélia-Rumâgna) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy, situated in the north of the country, comprising the historical regions ...
through affiliates of the clan in northern Italy.'Ndrangheta: traffico droga, arresti in varie regioni
, ANSA, May 20, 2008.
Clan di Locri con filiali nel nord, 48 arresti
'' Corriere della Sera'', May 20, 2008.


References

* Gratteri, Nicola & Antonio Nicaso (2006).
Fratelli di Sangue
', Cosenza: Luigi Pellegrini Editore {{'Ndrine 1960s establishments in Italy 'Ndrine