Ambushed by a former repentant in the Ragusa area, the Stidda reorganises itself

RAGUSA, 07 JUN – The investigating judge of Ragusa has validated the arrests, and issued a precautionary custody order in prison, of three alleged members of the Stidda di Vittoria accused of mafia association: they are Biagio Cannizzo, aged 51, Raffaele Giunta, of 62 years old and Alessandro Pardo, 48 years old. The first two are also accused of the attempted murder of former justice collaborator Roberto Di Martino after his return to Vittoria. The arrests were carried out by the Police and were issued by magistrates of the Catania DDA, the deputy prosecutor Sebastiano Ardita and the deputy Gabriele Fragalà. The activity is still ongoing and a more complete communication will be given at the end of the operations. The investigations of the flying squad of the Ragusa Police Headquarters would have revealed that “within the criminal association there was the objective of the physical elimination of a list of people who collaborated with justice and who are currently present in Vittoria, including Di Martino, and this – in the investigative hypothesis – with purposes of revenge and in order to consolidate the exclusive control of all illicit affairs of interest to the criminal organization over Vittoria and the entire province”. The investigation also shed “light on the availability of a considerable number of weapons, including war weapons, and on the possible use by the associates” to “carry out the criminal plan of the organization and acquire control of the city’s economic activities through extortion activities against numerous entrepreneurs and traders”. In support of this thesis, one of the detainees was found in possession of a 357 magnum revolver with abraded serial number and loaded with the relevant ammunition. The three suspects were taken to the Bicocca prison in Catania