Pietro Criaco (; born December 9, 1972, in Africo Nuovo) 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 , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

n mafia. He was a fugitive since 1997 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 lis ...

until his capture on December 28, 2008, in

Africo Africo ( Calabrian: ; ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the Southern Italian region of Calabria located from Reggio Calabria. Africo consists of two main centers. The first, Africo Vecchio (Old Africo), is located some in ...

near the southern 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 ...

. He tried to enter the 'Ndrangheta when his father Domenico Criaco was killed in 1993. After he was refused by Giuseppe Morabito, he turned to

Cosimo Cordì Cosimo Cordì (; Locri, 1951 – Locri, October 13, 1997) was a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. He was the head of the Cordì 'ndrina based in Locri, a hotbed of 'Ndrangheta activity. The Cordì ...

, who did accept him in the

Cordì 'ndrina The Cordì 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Locri, a hotbed of 'Ndrangheta activity. Feud with Cataldo clan The historical boss of the clan, Domenico Cordì ...

. When Cosimo Cordì was killed in October 1997 in the ongoing feud with the

Cataldo 'ndrina The Cataldo 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. This particular 'ndrina is based in Locri, a hotbed of 'Ndrangheta activity. The clan allied, with the Marafioti family, is involved in a ...

, Criaco is said to have moved through the spectating crowd to kiss his boss goodbye, whose head been nearly blown away in the attack.Arrestato Criaco, il boss che baciava i cadaveri
Corriere della Sera, December 29, 2008 He led the counterattack against the Cataldos with Cosimo's son,

Salvatore Cordì 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' ...

. According to informants Criaco was a hit man who was known to wash his hands in the blood of his victims.Top mafia member nabbed
, Rai News, December 28, 2008 In 2000 he was sentenced to 19 years together with the leadership of the Cordì 'ndrina and the Cataldo 'ndrina for murder, extortion and membership of a mafia organization. He was considered to be the military boss of the Cordì clan.Colpo alla 'Ndrangheta, in manette il superboss Pietro Criaco
Corriere della Sera, December 28, 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Criaco, Pietro 1972 births Living people 'Ndranghetisti People from the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria People from Africo