Mariano Agate (19 May 1939 in

Mazara del Vallo Mazara del Vallo (; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, southwestern Sicily, Italy. It lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river. It is an agricultural and fishing centre and its port gives shelter to the ...

– 3 April 2013 in Mazara del Vallo) was a member of 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 ...

. He was the boss of

Mafia family since the 1970s when he replaced the old boss Mariano Licari. He also was the boss of the mandamento of Mazara, including the Mafia families of

Marsala Marsala (, local ; la, Lilybaeum) is an Italian town located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth in Sicily. The town is famous for the docking of Gius ...

Salemi Salemi is a town and ''comune'' in southwestern Sicily, Italy, administratively part of the province of Trapani. History Salemi is where Giuseppe Garibaldi announced the annexation of Sicily on May 14, 1860, as part of the Expedition of the T ...

and

Vita Vita or VITA (plural vitae) is Latin for "life", and may refer to: * ''Vita'', the usual start to the title of a biography in Latin, by which (in a known context) the work is often referred to; frequently of a saint, then called hagiography * Vita ...

. Agate was a member of "Iside", one of the most powerful local

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

lodges. In the 1980s, Agate supported the

Corleonesi The Corleonesi Mafia clan was a faction within the Corleone family of the Sicilian Mafia, formed in the 1970s. Notable leaders included Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina, Bernardo Provenzano, and Leoluca Bagarella. Corleonesi affiliates were not ...

faction during the

Second Mafia War The Second Mafia War was a period of conflict involving the Sicilian Mafia, mostly taking place from the late 1970s to the early 1990s and involved thousands of homicides. Sometimes referred to as The Great Mafia War or the ''Mattanza'' (Italian ...

and became the most important ally of Totò Riina in the

province of Trapani Trapani ( it, Provincia di Trapani, scn, Pruvincia di Tràpani; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Trapani'') is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, southern Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it ...

. He also became a member of 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 ...

. Agate was arrested in 1982 for heroin trafficking. In 1985 he was sentenced to life for several murders, including those of judge Giacomo Ciaccio Montalto and the mayor of Castelvetrano, Vito Lipari. Agate was arrested again in 1992, after his release the year before. He has been sentenced for life for the murders of the Antimafia judges

Giovanni Falcone Giovanni Falcone (; 18 May 1939 – 23 May 1992) was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian ...

and Paolo Borsellino.Stragi del '92, tredici ergastoli
La Sicilia on line, April 21, 2006 In the 1990s, members of his clan worked together with the 'Ndrangheta clan headed by Giuseppe Morabito from

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 ...

to import

hashish Hashish ( ar, حشيش, ()), also known as hash, "dry herb, hay" is a drug made by compressing and processing parts of the cannabis plant, typically focusing on flowering buds (female flowers) containing the most trichomes. European Monitoring ...

from Morocco and cocaine from Latin America.Activity carried out and the results gathered during the period June – December 2000
by the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia Despite being jailed, in 2004 he was accused of running an international cocaine trafficking ring with several

'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 ...

clans (the Marando, Trimboli and Barbaro clans from Platì in particular), supported by his son Epifanio Agate and Salvatore Miceli, a fugitive in Colombia. Although incarcerated under the strict 41-bis prison regime he instructed his son on how to run the business.Dalla cella dava ordini al figlio laureato
, Il Messaggero, June 1, 2003 Agate died at home on 3 April 2013. He had been granted house arrest for serious health reasons. Agate was ill for some time with cancer. The authorities banned a public funeral to guarantee public order and security.Muore il braccio destro di Totò Riina
Corriere della Mezzogiorno, April 4, 2013

References

* Stille, Alexander (1995).''Excellent Cadavers. The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic'', New York: Vintage 1939 births 2013 deaths People from Mazara del Vallo Sicilian mafiosi Sicilian Mafia Commission Italian crime bosses {{Italy-crime-bio-stub