“Today we register the new presence of exponents of the old criminal organization and of new subjects who are approaching the Stiddaro phenomenon to rebuild an organization in some way in dialogue with Cosa Nostra, which, structured in mandates and families, is still without a top structure ”. The report on the activity carried out and the results achieved by the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate in the first half of 2023 has been published. The report, including the analysis of the phenomena of mafia-type organized crime, for the province of Agrigento, speaks of a ” area” also permeable to the influence of the Stidda, which over the years has managed to raise its criminal stature, to the point of establishing mutually convenient pacts with the Cosa Nostra families.
Furthermore, in this criminal context, some groups organized on a family basis are also active, such as the famigghiedde in Favara and the paracchi in Palma di Montechiaro, which operate independently of Cosa Nostra and the Stiddare consortia. In the context of mafia crime, conflicts could arise from the release of elderly and charismatic men of honor ready to restore their old power.
Cosa Nostra Agrigentina is based on the historical division of the districts: Agrigento, Burgio, Santa Margherita di Belìce, Santa Elisabetta, Cianciana, Canicattì and Palma di Montechiaro. Seven districts in which 42 families operate, anchored to traditional mafia rules, which continue to play a role of supremacy in the territory, in connection with the homologous mafia structures of Catania, Nissene, Palermo, Trapani and overseas. In fact, it was documented by the results of the “Xydy” operation, the meeting in Favara between Sicilian men of honor and some individuals believed to belong to the Gambino mafia family of New York, who had proposed to their Sicilian counterparts “… the activation of a profitable and complex transnational criminal synergy”.
This assumption confirmed, as well as by previous investigative activities, by the results of the “Xydy” operation focused on the Canicattì district, from which “… continuous and very close …” contacts emerged between some exponents of that district with associates from other Sicilian provinces, finalized to the organization and management of profitable businesses. Over time, a sort of “criminal emigration” from Agrigento towards Europe (northern European countries, with particular regard to Germany and Belgium) and towards the American and Canadian continents was also highlighted, with the tendency to rebuild delinquent groups in foreign territory. who maintain ties with local ones.
In this regard, on 17 March 2023 in Montreal (Canada), a top member of the Rizzuto clan was injured, whose members apparently originate from the province of Agrigento, an event that could be symptomatic of a feud aimed at controlling economic interests in that state .
During the period under review, various judicial police activities relating to drug trafficking and extortion events were recorded. In this regard, in the municipalities of the Agrigento area (Palma di Montechiaro, Favara, Canicattì, Ravanusa and Licata), on 11 January 2023 the Carabinieri, as part of the “Condor” operation, dismantled a mafia-type association dedicated to extortion and drug trafficking. The investigation made it possible to highlight the close link between Cosa Nostra and Stidda.
The activities, which also saw the involvement of subjects gravitating in territories of “competence” of the Agrigento district, reconstructed the attempt by Cosa Nostra of Palma di Montechiaro to expand its mafia power to other territories in the agri-food sector. In the sector of the so-called “brokerage” of the marketing of grapes (in the case of must grapes in particular), also identifying the brokers”, and to face the expansion of a criminal group of Stiddara origin which, taking advantage of the incessant investigative activities which had led following the conviction of numerous members of Cosa Nostra, he had until then moved under the radar, expanding his ranks and extending his criminal activities.
The investigation, which among other things revealed the organization’s ability to take control of the slot machine and gaming machine sector, highlighted solid relationships between the top of the Palma di Montechiaro mafia family and the ‘ndrina of Platì (Reggio Calabria), also allowing us to document the existence of an association dedicated to drug trafficking operating in the territories of Palma di Montechiaro, Licata and Palermo and directed by a person belonging to Stidda. Finally, it emerged that part of the amounts resulting from the “fixing” were distributed to the families of the prisoners.
The investigations carried out during the semester confirmed the interest of Cosa Nostra Agrigento in the procurement and public services sector. The investigative findings in the “Condor” investigation by the Agrigento Carabinieri have highlighted the rule in force in such mafia contexts: that according to which entrepreneurs who intend to carry out public works “off-site” would ask local criminal organizations for permission to carry out the works for the price of a sum to be paid as “fixing protection money”.
Furthermore, in the period under scrutiny, events of a presumably intimidating nature were recorded against an employee of the Municipality of Palma di Montechiaro, the manager of the archaeological and landscape park of the Valley of the Temples of Agrigento and the school secretary, former councilor for social services for the municipality of Lucca Sicula, as well as episodes of violence.
On the administrative prevention front, a considerable institutional synergy has been developed which has allowed the Prefect of Agrigento to issue 8 anti-mafia disqualification measures against as many companies in the first half of last year. Specifically: four provisions of refusals to the request to remain in the list of suppliers, providers and executors of works, towards companies operating in the construction and earthmoving sector; two anti-mafia disqualifying information pursuant to art. 91 of the anti-mafia code against two individual businesses and two disqualifying anti-mafia communications pursuant to art. 87 of the anti-mafia code.
Finally, over time, in the territory of the Agrigento province, the presence of foreign associations has also been found, mostly Maghreb, Egyptian and Romanian, “tolerated” by the mafia as they are dedicated to crimes not of direct mafia interest such as aiding and abetting the illegal immigration, the recycling of ferrous materials, the exploitation of prostitution and the retail sale of drugs.
