The ''Camera di Controllo'' (Board of Control), is a collegial body 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 ...
. It is also known as ''La Provincia'' (the Province) or ''Camera di Compensazione'' (compensation board). It is composed of leading 'Ndrangheta members to decide on important questions concerning the organization and settling disputes.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', pp. 61-62 Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', pp. 65-68
History
Although the 'Ndrangheta organisation did know centralized structures – such as the ''
crimine The crimine is an annual meeting of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. The meeting is held near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in the municipality of San Luca during the September Feast.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 59 A ...
'' – that weakly coordinated activities of the various
'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 ...
, it was not until 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 grou ...
that raged from 1985 to 1991 that the ''Provincia'' or ''Camera'', a more powerful and centralized body, was established. The bloody six-year war between the Condello- Imerti- Serraino- Rosmini clans and the De Stefano- Tegano- Libri-Latella clans left more than 600 deaths.
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 ...
contributed to the end of the conflict and probably suggested the subsequent set up of a superordinate body, similar to the
Sicilian Mafia Commission
The Sicilian Mafia Commission (Italian: ''Commissione provinciale''), known as Commissione or Cupola, is a body of leading Sicilian Mafia members to decide on important questions concerning the actions of, and settling disputes within the Sicili ...
, to avoid further infighting. The body, also referred to as the Commission in reference to its Sicilian counterpart, is composed of three lower bodies, known as ''mandamenti''. One for the clans on the Ionic side (the
Aspromonte
The Aspromonte is a mountain massif in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria (Calabria, southern Italy). The literal translation of the name means "rough mountain". But for others the name more likely is related to the Greek word Aspros ( Î†Ï ...
mountains and
Locride
Locride is an area of Calabria, Italy around the town of Locri in the Province of Reggio Calabria. The term takes origin from the Locris, an ancient Greek region.
It is divided into 5 areas:
* Vallata dello Stilaro
* Vallata del Torbido
* Epizef ...
) of Calabria, a second for the Tyrrhenian side (the plains of Gioia Tauro) and one central ''mandamento'' for 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 ...
.
Function
According to the pentito Pasquale Barreca the ''Provincia'' had "the authority of a true hierarchical superordinate power." Its primary function is the settlement of inter-family disputes. Any controversy between the various clans has to be submitted to the Commission before violence can be used. Smaller conflicts within the same 'Ndrangheta group are still left to the jurisdiction of the local family boss. If a decision of the Commission is ignored, all the '' locali'' – all the ''ndrine'' in a specific town or territory – are expected to line up against the one who violated the decision.
However, so far the Commission has not succeeded in ending all violent conflicts, such as the one between the Cordì and the Cataldo clans 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 Ionia ...
. Nevertheless, since the end of the Second 'Ndrangheta war a sharp decrease in homicides in Reggio Calabria province suggests that the peacekeeping role played by the ''Provincia'' is functioning to some extent.
Members of the Commission
The membership of the first ''Provincia'' or Commission varies according to different testimonies of 'Ndrangheta turncoats ( pentiti). The following names are mentioned:Sentenza procedimento penale Olimpia Tribunale di Reggio Calabria, January 19, 1999
*
Domenico Alvaro
Domenico Alvaro (December 5, 1924 in Sinopoli − July 25, 2010 in Sinopoli), also known as 'don Micu o Giannuzzu', was an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria.
He became the head of the locale o ...
and/or
Cosimo Alvaro
Cosimo is the Italian form of the Greek name ''Kosmas'' (latinised as ''Cosmas'').
Cosimo may refer to:
Characters
* Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò, hero of Italo Calvino's 1957 novel ''The Baron in the Trees''
Given name Medici family
* Cosimo ...
(Sinopoli)
*
Salvatore Aquino Salvatore Aquino (born February 29, 1944 in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica), also known as "Turi", is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria. He is the boss of the Aquino 'ndrina from Marina di Gioiosa Ionica and he's closely re ...
(Marina di Gioiosa Ionica)
*
Santo Araniti
Santo Araniti (; born April 25, 1947, in Reggio Calabria) is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation in Calabria. He was a fugitive since 1983 and included in the list of most wanted fugitives in ...
Umberto Bellocco
Umberto Bellocco (; 17 December 1937 – 22 October 2022) was an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He was the capobastone and founder of the Bellocco 'ndrina from the 1960s until his arre ...
or his brother
Carmelo Bellocco
Carmelo is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Carmelo Anthony (born 1984), American basketball player
* Carmelo Antrone Lee (born 1977), Puerto Rican basketball player
* Carmelo Bene (1937-2002), Italian director, actor, phil ...
Francesco Commisso
Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include:
People with the given name Francesco
* Francesco I (disambiguation), sever ...
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.Natale Iamonte (Melito di Porto Salvo)
* Domenico Libri (Reggio Calabria)
*
Antonio Mammoliti
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
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 opposed to ...
(Gioiosa Ionica)
*
Antonio Nirta
Antonio Nirta (April 22, 1919 – September 1, 2015) was a boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organization in Calabria, Italy. Together with his brothers Giuseppe, Francesco and Sebastiano, he ruled San Luca, a stronghold of the 'Ndrangheta.
'N ...
Gioacchino Piromalli
Gioacchino is a masculine Italian given name, equivalent to the English Joachim. Notable people with the name include:
* Gioacchino Assereto (1600–1649), Italian painter
* Gioacchino Cocchi (1720–1804), Italian composer
* Gioacchino Colombo (1 ...
Paolo Serraino Paolo Serraino (born March 21, 1942), is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria. He was born in Cardeto, about 10 km southeast of the city of Reggio Calabria.
Personal
He is the younger the brother of the boss of the S ...
(Reggio Calabria)
*
Giovanni Tegano
Giovanni Tegano (; 8 November 1939 – 7 July 2021) was an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia. He was a fugitive since 1993 and was included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy, until his arrest in ...
(Reggio Calabria)
*
Luigi Ursino
Luigi Ursino (born February 16, 1933) is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He's the boss of the Ursino 'ndrina from Gioiosa Ionica, The family name is sometimes spelled Ursini.
The Ursino ...
(Gioiosa Ionica)
Operation Crimine
In July 2010, in a massive police operation dubbed "Il crimine", the head of the ''
crimine The crimine is an annual meeting of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. The meeting is held near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in the municipality of San Luca during the September Feast.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 59 A ...
'',
Domenico Oppedisano Domenico Oppedisano (Rosarno, 5 December 1930) is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He is based in Rosarno.
Capo crimine
In August 2009 he was appointed ''capo crimine'', the ceremonial he ...
was arrested. In the course of the investigation the '' capo crimine'' also appeared to be the nominal head of the ''Provincia''. Oppedisano represented the Tyrrhenian mandamento, while his No. 2, the ''Capo società '' Antonino Latella represented the Centre (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 ...
Antonio Barbaro
Antonio Barbaro (died 1679) was a Venetian general and governor, a member of the patrician Barbaro family of Venice (now Italy). Barbaro lived at a time when Venice had a maritime empire in the Mediterranean. He served in Candia (now Heraklion), Cr ...
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.I nuovi assetti della ‘ndrangheta reggina Gazetta del Sud, April 18, 2011
To govern the 'Ndrangheta ''locali'' outside Calabria a so-called ''Camera di controllo'' is constituted. The investigation confirmed the existence of a ''Camera di controllo'' in
Lombardy
Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
and
Liguria
Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...
A ''Camera di Controllo'' also exists in Canada, according to "confidential information" of the police "which they believe to be reliable." It consists of six or seven
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
-area men, who co-ordinate activities and resolves disputes among 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 ...
Michele Racco
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 Side ...
,
Giacomo Luppino
The Luppino crime family, () also known as the Luppino-Violi crime family, is a 'Ndrangheta organized crime family based and founded in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in the 1950s by Giacomo Luppino. The Luppino family is one of three centralized Maf ...
and
Rocco Zito
Rocco Zito (; August 19, 1928 – January 29, 2016) was an Italian-Canadian crime boss of the 'Ndrangheta in Canada, a Mafia-type organisation originating in Calabria, Italy. He was also a founding member of the Camera di Controllo in Canada in ...
established a crimini or Camera di Controllo in Canada.Schneider, ''Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada'', pp. 310 One of the members was
Giuseppe Coluccio
Giuseppe Coluccio (; born 12 April 1966) is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He was a fugitive since 2005 and included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his capture on 7 ...
, before he was arrested and extradited to Italy.Life of luxury on hold National Post, August 16, 2008 Other members are
Vincenzo DeMaria
Vincenzo "Jimmy" DeMaria (; born 1954) is an Italian-Canadian businessman and alleged mobster originally from Calabria, Italy, now based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. In 1982, DeMaria was convicted of murder, and upon his release in 1990, has si ...
Carmine Verduci Carmine Verduci (; May 12, 1959 – April 24, 2014) was an Italian-Canadian mobster from Oppido Mamertina, Calabria, based in Woodbridge, Ontario linked to the Greater Toronto Area 'Ndrangheta group called the Siderno Group. He also had a seat on ...
before his death, and Cosimo Stalteri before his death.
During a March 2018 trial of 'Ndrangheta members in the
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...
in Canada, an agreed Statement of Fact indicated that "the Localiocal cellsoutside of Calabria replicate the structure from Calabria, and are connected to their mother-Locali in Calabria. The authority to start Locali outside Calabria comes from the governing bodies of the organization in Calabria. The Locali outside of Calabria are part of the same 'Ndrangheta organization as in Calabria, and maintain close relationships with the Locali where its members come from." The group's activities in the Greater Toronto Area were controlled by a group known as the 'Camera Di Controllo' (also known as La Provincia, according to the statement) which "makes all of the final decisions", according to the witness' testimony.
By mid-2019, Police in Italy and in Canada were convinced that "the 'Ndrangheta's Canadian presence has become so powerful and influential that the board north of Toronto has the authority to make decisions, not only in relation to Canada's underworld, but also abroad, even back in Siderno".