Mancuso 'ndrina
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The Mancuso 'ndrina is a clan of the
'Ndrangheta The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a mafia-type organized crime, criminal syndicate originating from the Calabria region of Italy. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', pp. 65–68 This body, also referred to as the Commission in reference to the ...
, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in
Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. The
'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 ...
is based in
Limbadi Limbadi () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about southwest of Vibo Valentia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,688 and an ar ...
and
Nicotera Nicotera ( Calabrian: ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Vibo Valentia, Calabria, southern Italy. History The origins of Nicòtera lie with the ancient Greek city of Medma, which was founded by the Locresis of Epizephyrian Lo ...
and is considered by the investigative bodies as the most influential clan in the
province of Vibo Valentia The province of Vibo Valentia (; Vibonese: ) is a province in the Calabria region of Italy, set up by a national law of 6 March 1992, which came into effect on 1 January 1996, and formerly part of the province of Catanzaro. Its capital is the ...
. They also have influences in the
Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria () is an area of local government at the level of metropolitan city in the Calabria region of Italy. It comprises the territory of the city of Reggio Calabria and 97 other ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in the hin ...
thanks to the alliance with the Piromalli of
Gioia Tauro Gioia Tauro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria (Italy), on the Tyrrhenian coast. It has an important port, situated along the route connecting Suez to Gibraltar, one of the busiest maritime corridors in ...
and the
Pesce Pesce may refer to: Geography * The Pesce Peninsula in West Antarctica Cinema * Il pesce innamorato (‘The Fish in Love’), Italian comedy film released in 1999 People * Brett Pesce (born 1994), American hockey player * Emidio Pesce (born 2002 ...
of
Rosarno Rosarno is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region of Calabria. It is about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. Rosarno stands on a natural terrace cloaked in olive ...
, contacts with the Torcasio-Giampà group and in the
Crotone Crotone (; ; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( or ; ), it became a great Greek city, home of the renowned mathematician-philosopher Pythagoras amongst other famous citizens, and one ...
area where they have links with the Arena 'ndrina of
Isola di Capo Rizzuto Isola di Capo Rizzuto (; ) is a (municipality) in the province of Crotone, Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the ...
. pag. 75 They have contacts with the
Cosa Nostra The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of local protect ...
families, and historically with the Colombian
FARC The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (, FARC–EP or FARC) was a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964. The FARC-EP was officially founded in 1966 from peasan ...
and the
United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (''Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia'', or AUC, in Spanish) were a Colombian far-right paramilitary and drug trafficking group which was an active belligerent in the Colombian armed conflict during the ...
(AUC). In
northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...
they are present in the northern hinterland of
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, in particular in
Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
,
Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
and in the municipalities of
Giussano Giussano ( ) is a (municipality) in the province of Monza and Brianza, in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan. Giussano borders the following municipalities: Inverigo, Carugo, Arosio, Briosco, Mariano Comense, Ca ...
,
Seregno Seregno (; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the new Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region of Lombardy. Seregno received the honorary title of city by a presidential decree on 26 January 1979. It is served by Seregno railway station ...
,
Verano Brianza Verano Brianza (Milanese: Veran) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, ...
and
Mariano Comense Mariano Comense ( Brianzöö: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Como, Lombardy, Italy. It has c. 23,600 inhabitants and is one of the most important cities of the Brianza. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential de ...
, they are also present in
Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
(
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) and
Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...
(
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and
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), while in
central Italy Central Italy ( or ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first-level NUTS region with code ITI, and a European Parliament constituency. It has 11,704,312 inhabita ...
they are present in
Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
and
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
. The 'ndrina is also active abroad in particular in
Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...
, where it takes care of its main criminal activity in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
, representing the new logistic center for the international trafficking of cocaine. The Mancuso 'ndrina has been defined by Giuseppe Lumia, the former president of the
Antimafia Commission The Antimafia Commission () is a bicameral commission of the Italian Parliament, composed of members from the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The first commission, formed in 1963, was established as a body of inquiry tasked wi ...
, as the most financially powerful clan in Europe.


Criminal activities

The main criminal business of the clan is the international drug trafficking as confirmed by the very important police operation "Takeoff" in 2004, the report of the Minister of the Interior of the DIA year 2008 declares: "The Mancusos operate in the prosperous the cocaine trafficking sector, where they managed to acquire considerable weight, securing a privileged channel with the
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
n
cartels A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collaborate with each other as well as agreeing not to compete with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. A cartel is an organization formed by producers ...
, with the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
drug traffickers, reaching as far as
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
", pag. 128 followed by extortion, usury;http://www.antiracketpuglia.it/public/documentazione/Relazione_Dia_2sem2007.pdf pag. 124 The public procurement sector is also very important for the clan, so much so that a report on the health of Vibonese by the
Guardia di Finanza The Guardia di Finanza (; G. di F. or GdF; or ) is an Italian militarised law enforcement agency under the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italy), Ministry of Economy and Finance, instead of the Ministry of Defence (Italy), Ministry of Defence ...
in 2007 stated: "The influence of the Mancusos was also evident in the sector of public works awarded through contracts; this has given them the typical characteristics of a mafia formation with a high economic-financial vocation"; the 'ndrina also practices laundering of its illicit proceeds, particularly in the hotel tourism context, as stated in the report of the interior minister to parliament on the activities of the DIA in 2007; the criminal consortium also managed to infiltrate the public administration, in fact the dissolution of the municipal council of Nicotera in 2010 is also due to the influence exercised by the 'ndrina and its connections with administrators and municipal employees as shown in the report of the prefect of
Vibo Valentia Vibo Valentia (; Monteleone before 1861; Monteleone di Calabria from 1861 to 1928; or ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Calabria, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital of the province of Vibo Valentia, and ...
attached to the dissolution decree.


Structure

According to the
pentito ''Pentito'' (; lit. "repentant"; plural: ''pentiti'') is used colloquially to designate collaborators of justice in Italian criminal procedure terminology who were formerly part of criminal organizations and decided to collaborate with a public ...
Andrea Mantella, some members of the Mancuso 'ndrina possess the dowry of "''medaglione"'', one of the top qualities in the ' Ndrangheta's hierarchy. According to the results of the Rinascita-Scott investigation of 2019, the pentito Luigi Bonaventura states that during a meeting in Polsi, the Locale of Limbadi, of which the Mancusos belong to and are hegemonic, has been recognized by 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 ...
and therefore all the other Locali and of
Vibo Valentia Vibo Valentia (; Monteleone before 1861; Monteleone di Calabria from 1861 to 1928; or ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Calabria, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital of the province of Vibo Valentia, and ...
would have had a secondary role. Also from the investigations that took place between 2014 and 2017, it became clear the apical role of Luigi Mancuso in the 'Ndrangheta's hierarchy in the Tyrrhenian area, thus deducing that the Mancusos and therefore the Limbadi locale are part of the "Mandamento tirrenico", a territorial superstructure of the 'Ndrangheta which acts as a connecting body between 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 ...
above and the underlying Locali that exist in the province of
Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
,
Gioia Tauro Gioia Tauro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria (Italy), on the Tyrrhenian coast. It has an important port, situated along the route connecting Suez to Gibraltar, one of the busiest maritime corridors in ...
and the Tyrrhenian area.


Historical leaders

* Francesco Mancuso, known as "Don Ciccio", (1929-1997). — In 1983 he was mayor of
Limbadi Limbadi () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about southwest of Vibo Valentia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,688 and an ar ...
. * Antonio Mancuso, known as "Zio Ntoni", (1938). Son of "Don Peppe" (1902). — Considered one of the charismatic leaders of the 'ndrina. * Pantaleone Mancuso, known as "Scarpuni", (1961). Son of "Don Turi" (Chief of the armed wing). — Detained in the
Badu 'e Carros Badu 'e Carros is a high-security jailhouse in Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy. It was opened in the 1970s and is located on the outskirts of the town. The jailhouse is mostly used for special kinds of prisoners like terrorists, highly dangerous mobsters and ...
prison, and subjected to the prison regime of the article 41-bis. * Cosmo Mancuso, known as "Zio Michele", (1949). Son of "Don Peppe" (1902). — At the head of one of the 3 branches into which the Mancuso family split. He was arrested on April 12, 2019. * Francesco Mancuso, known as "Zio Ciccio" or "Tabacco", (1957). — Son of "Don Mico" (1927). At the head of one of the 3 branches into which the Mancuso family split. * Luigi Mancuso, known as "Zio Luigi" or "U Signurino", (1954). — Considered the number one of the "Locale of Limbadi", among the most powerful bosses, nationally and internationally, arrested in June 1993 and released from prison in July 2012 with 11 years in advance. Rearrested on December 19, 2019 in the Rinascita-Scott operation in which it is discovered that since 2012 he was reuniting his family and working as a peacemaker throughout the
Vibo Valentia Vibo Valentia (; Monteleone before 1861; Monteleone di Calabria from 1861 to 1928; or ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Calabria, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital of the province of Vibo Valentia, and ...
area. The affiliate Giovanni Giamborino, intercepted, speaks of him as: "Luigi does not need to ask who is in Nicotera, Reggio or this or other. He has the roof of the world: if there is someone, it is always him at the top of all." According to the pentito Virgiglio, Luigi Mancuso is also defined "one of the three points of the star" which also includes Giuseppe Piromalli and Antonino Pesce. It would also seem that from 2014 to 2017 Luigi Mancuso had a leading role in the "Mandamento tirrenico". * Giuseppe Mancuso, known as "Zio Peppe" or "Mbrogghja", (1949). Son of "Don Mico" (1927). — Serving 30 years in prison, for murder, drug trafficking and mafia association. * Diego Mancuso, known as "Mazzola", (1953). Son of "Don Mico" (1927). * Pantaleone Mancuso, known as Zio Luni or "L'ingegnere", (1961). Son of "Don Mico" (1927). — Arrested in 2019. * Pantaleone Mancuso, known as "Don Luni" or "Vetrinetta", (1947-2015). Son of "Don Peppe" (1902) — Considered a key person for the connection between the Mancuso 'ndrina and the
Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
. Died in prison in 2015.


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mancuso 'Ndrina 1970s establishments in Italy 'Ndrine