“The criminal organizations operating in the province of Latina have characterized this territory over time by assimilating it in characteristics, albeit on a smaller scale, to that of the capital. Here too, in fact, the numerous projections of the traditional mafias have led to the search for a substantial balance with the well-rooted indigenous criminal groups, characterized by marked autonomy, notable criminal caliber and ability to influence in a decisive way the local socio-economic fabric”. This is the criminal scenario of Latina as outlined in the Report of the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate relating to the first half of 2023, presented yesterday by the Minister of the Interior. In the chapter dedicated to the province of Latina, drug dealing, illegal possession of weapons, environmental crimes, money laundering, usury and extortion stand out among the illicit activities.
Waste management and labor exploitation
In the context of the legal economy, activities of illicit waste management and disposal have been found, as well as forms of labor exploitation especially towards laborers of foreign origin, who are often also involved in carrying out illicit activities. In October 2022, as proof of the interest of crime in the waste sector, the State Police carried out a seizure order aimed at confiscation issued by the Court of Rome, for a total value of 10 million euros, against active entrepreneurs in the real estate and waste management sectors, involved in the operation called “Dark Side” 78 conducted by the police who reconstructed a series of irregularities on the part of an association dedicated to the illicit disposal of waste, responsible for numerous illegal spills including toxic substances, in the area between Latina and Aprilia. Among the main crimes alleged are the continued illicit trafficking of waste, the construction of an unauthorized landfill in an area of Aprilia, the unauthorized management of waste and environmental pollution.
The clans of the Pontine capital
Particular space was reserved for the consolidated presence of local criminal groups, with respect to which a convergence of interests between traditional mafias and indigenous groups such as the Di Silvio, Ciarelli and Travali groups was highlighted, which has given rise, the Dia investigators underline, to a ” peculiar criminal phenomenology in which local cliques would continue to maintain an increasingly central role”. The strong impact of organized crime on the socio-economic context of the province of Latina had already clearly emerged from the outcome of the “Alba Pontina” and “Alba Pontina 2” operations, which, contesting the aggravating circumstances of the mafia method, reconstructed the diversified illicit activities carried out with intimidating methods by the DiSilvio-Travali group. Proof of this situation is the tenacity with which on 25 January 2023 the Court of Rome inflicted sentences for a total of 160 years of imprisonment on 19 defendants who chose the abbreviated procedure: also in this case they were recognized in the the action of the Di Silvio clan the specific characteristics of the mafia action. The trial arose from another complex judicial police activity coordinated by the DDA and concluded by the police in October 2021, called “Scarface”, which allowed the arrest of 33 people belonging to the Di Silvio group. Also in this case, the existence of a family-based organization was ascertained, rooted in Latina and operating over a vast area of the Pontine territory, which had imposed conditions of subjugation and silence as direct consequences of the strong intimidation deriving from the associative bond.
The south of the province
As regards the area of Gaeta, Formia, Minturno, and in general the entire lower Lazio coast, the investigators once again detected the presence of criminal organizations of Campanian origin, and in particular the Bardellino and Casalesi. Even the complex money laundering operations carried out by the Moccia clan have sometimes involved and exploited companies operating in the Pontine capital, while the Mallardo and Di Lauro interests in this area “have favored the real estate investment sector. The original Gagliardi-Fragnoli clan of the neighboring Mondragone – we read again in the report – already in the past would have extended its influence to the neighboring areas of lower Lazio, as well as the D’Alterio group, contiguous to criminal contexts both of Campania and indigenous origin, known for repeated attempts to interference in the management of the Fondi fruit and vegetable market, considered among the largest agri-food centers in Europe”. Among the police operations that affected that area, we remember that of March 2023 with the arrest of two people, originally from the province of Naples and resident in the municipalities of lower Lazio, who allegedly exerted continuous pressure and illegitimate demands on an entrepreneur by making resorted to highly intimidating messages, boasting alleged links with the Bardellino clan, known in that local context from judicial reports also for its illicit interests in that territory and in particular for the influence exercised in the areas of Formia and Gaeta.
The north of the province
With reference to the associations of ‘Ndrangheta origin, the well-known “Propaggine” and “Tritone”83 investigations confirmed the interests in this area of the ‘ndrine Alvaro and Carzo as documented by the presence in the Latina and Aprilia hinterland of two figures, both originating from the province of Reggio, affected by a restrictive measure. Furthermore, the interests of the Tripodo, Romeo, La Rosa, Bellocco and Commisso gangs would be registered, which are continually seeking strategic forms of collaboration with native criminal groups.
