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.'Mafia boss' arrested in Italy
BBC News, 18 February 2008
La Repubblica, 19 February 2008 He was a fugitive since 1990 and included in the

list of most wanted fugitives in Italy The list of most wanted fugitives in Italy is a most wanted list published by the Italian Interior Ministry. It includes criminals who are considered extremely dangerous by the Polizia di Stato. The list was started in July 1992. There are also l ...

until his capture in February 2008. Investigators called him the "Provenzano of Calabria" – a reference to

Bernardo Provenzano Bernardo Provenzano (; 31 January 1933 – 13 July 2016) was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia clan known as the Corleonesi, a Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone, and ''de facto'' the boss of bosses (''il capo ...

, the Sicilian "boss of bosses" who was arrested in 2006 after some 40 years as a fugitive.

Criminal career

Initially Condello was aligned with Paolo De Stefano- Di Mazzitelli, the undisputed boss of Reggio Calabria, who was the best man at his wedding.Condello, leader pacato e spietato
La Repubblica, 19 February 2008 Condello was probably involved in the killing of the historical and charismatic '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 ...

from

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 ...

– who tried to stop the crime syndicate drifting into kidnapping and drug running and opposed the establishment 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 overnigh ...

– on 20 January 1975.Relazione mafie nel Lazio: Le famiglie mafiose operanti nel Lazio
LiberaInformazione According to a state witness, Condello was one of his 'executioners'. The murder unleashed 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 ...

that cost some 300 lives, including Domenico Tripodo, the historical boss of Reggio.Godfather's arrest fuels fear of bloody conflict
The Observer, 24 February 2008 At the end of the conflict De Stefano was the new leader of Reggio Calabria 'Ndrangheta.Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', p. 115

Second 'Ndrangheta war

A second 'Ndrangheta war was triggered by the marriage between Giuseppina Condello – the sister of the Condello brothers, underbosses of De Stefano – and Antonio Imerti, the leader of a neighbouring ''

'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 ...

'' in

Villa San Giovanni Villa San Giovanni is a port city and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria of Calabria, Italy. In 2010 its population was 13,747 with a decrease of 2.5% until 2016 and in 2020 an increase of 3.7% . It is an important termin ...

. The conflict exploded in 1985, two years after the marriage and saw practically all the 'ndrine in the city of Reggio Calabria grouped into either one of two opposing factions. De Stefano had become fearful of the new alliance that might challenge his power base. A failed attempt on Antonio Imerti triggered the murder of Paolo De Stefano on 13 October 1985.Ucciso il 're delle cosche' e ora lotta per la successione
La Repubblica, 15 October 1985Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', pp. 88–89, His brothers Paolo and

Domenico Condello Domenico Condello (; 4 November 1956), also known as ''Micu 'u pacciu'' ("Micu the madman"), is an Italian criminal belonging to the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation in Calabria. Criminal history Born in the Archi neighbourhood o ...

were arrested in January 1988 for killing De Stefano,Catturati a Reggio Calabria i killer del boss De Stefano
La Repubblica, 7 January 1988 for which Pasquale has been charged as well. The bloody six-year war between the Condello-Imerti clan and De Stefano allied with the Tegano clan left 600 deaths. The conflict was settled with the help of other 'Ndrangheta bosses.

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. ...

, head of the

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 ...

locale vouched for the De Stefanos, while Antonio Mammoliti vouched for the Condello-Imerti clan., Nisio Palmieri, Dossier della Fondazione Cesar e dell’Associazione Sicurstrada per conto della Consulta Nazionale dei Consigli Regionali Unipol Assicurazioni Condello became a member of '' Camera di Controllo'', a provincial commission of the 'Ndrangheta formed at the end of the war in September 1991, to avoid further internal conflicts.Sentenza procedimento penale Olimpia
, Tribunale di Reggio Calabria, 19 January 1999

Criminal enterprise

Condello is accused of running a network of extortion and kickbacks on public works contracts, as well as having gotten control of contracts worth hundreds of millions of euros to build water purifiers in some Calabrian towns.Top mob boss arrested in Italian region of Calabria
International Herald Tribune, 18 February 2008 He is regarded as a key figure in trafficking cocaine between Colombia and Italy. He has been sentenced in absentia to four life prison terms - plus another 22 years in jail - for murder, mafia association, extortion, money laundering and drug-related offences, including the killing of Lodovico Ligato, a

Christian Democrat Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

politician and former head of the

Italian State Railways Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estat ...

in 1989.Who are the Calabrian mafia?
BBC News, 20 February 2008 Arrested in 1988, he jumped a US$100,000 bail in 1990 after being let out of prison under leniency rules which have since been changed. In March 1993, he was arrested together with his brother-in-law and alleged superior boss Antonio Imerti. However, newspaper reports already mentioned that Condello might have surpassed his former boss – and speculated that he might have killed Imerti when they both were still fugitives.Manette al capocosca "Nanu Feroce" Imerti e al cognato
Corriere della Sera, 24 March 1993 He managed to get released from detention again and became a fugitive.

Arrest

On 18 February 2008, Condello was captured in a major operation involving over 100 policemen who converged on an apartment in the district of Occhio di Péllaro, on the outskirts of Reggio Calabria. Although he was armed he did not resist arrest and "behaved like a true, old-style boss", ordering his underlings to hold their fire. He was taken into custody without a struggle, police said. He had been trailed for days and was found in the company of his son-in-law and a nephew. Investigators said that Condello had remained in his native Reggio Calabria throughout his time on the run and from there ran his gang's operations not only in Calabria but also in Rome and other Italian cities. According to police sources, Condello owns real estate and businesses worth more than 54 million euros in Rome and other Italian cities.

Family life

He is married with Maria Morabito and has three children: two daughters, Angela and Caterina, and a son Domenico Francesco."Togliamo i figli ai mafiosi"
, La Stampa, 1 March 2008 Caterina Condello married Daniele Ionetti, the son of Alfredo Ionetti, considered to be the treasurer of the Condello clan.La 'ndrangheta e la svolta del tritolo
La Repubblica, 5 January 2010

References

Books

*Paoli, Letizia (2003).
Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style
', New York: Oxford University Press

by Klaus Von Lampe)

by Alexandra V. Orlova)

External links

Mob boss caught in Italy
video of Reuters, 20 February 2008
Sulle tracce di Iannò: La famiglia del braccio destro del superlatitante Condello
by Monica Centofante, Antimafia Duemila nr 28, January 2003
In manette "Il Supremo"
by Monica Centofante, Antimafia Duemila nr 57, Anno VIII° Numero 1, March 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Condello, Pasquale 1950 births Fugitives Fugitives wanted by Italy Living people 'Ndranghetisti 'Ndranghetisti sentenced to life imprisonment People convicted of murder by Italy People from Reggio Calabria Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Italy