Artwork from Liceo Artistico Melotti, Lomazzo

The title ‘Don’t mention the Mafia!’ takes inspiration from the episode in Fawlty Towers when Basil admonishes his staff to not mention the war to his German guests. For those not brought up on UK comedy from the 1970’s, my point is that this topic raises such a set of sensibilities such that foreigners touch upon it at their own risk – particularly the issue of mafia presence in the north! In any case, you might well ask why raise the subject at all since it’s unlikely any of this impinges on any of our lives (at least not directly) and certainly does not compromise the natural beauty of our area and the manifestly innocent enjoyment of it by visitors and residents alike. However I do hope to show that, at least once in a while, we should consider this awkward topic.

The main evidence of a mafia presence in Lombardy comes from three investigations initiated by the DDA (Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia) under the Procura of Milan and led by the indefatigable antimafia magistrate Ilda Boccassini.

Ilda Boccassini

Ilda Boccassini has perhaps the broadest experience within the Italian judicial system in investigating corruption and mafia activities. She worked in Milan on Mani Pulite in the 90s, transferred to Caltanisetta to investigate the Falcone-Borsellino assassinations, returned to Milan to quash the rebirth of the Red Brigades and concurrently to identify the presence of the mafia in Lombardy. More recently she has been leading the investigations into the alleged crimes of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi.

The facts arising from the three DDA investigations (named Infinito, Metastasi and Insubria) do confirm the presence of the Mafia in the north involving primarily the Calabrian form of organised crime known as the ‘ndrangheta. The ‘Infinito’ inquiry was launched in 2003. It led to the arrest of 200 people in Milan and Calabria with both trials and investigations still ongoing. The ‘Metastasi’ investigation focused on the presence of the mafia in Lecco and the activities of old-style mafia boss Franco Covo Trovato.

Franco Covo Trovato

The ‘Insubria’ inquiry was initiated in 2012 and focused on ‘ndrangheta activity in three local councils, including two within the province of Como. These are Fino Mornasco and Cermenate, located halfway between Como and Milan. 35 arrests were made and prison sentences totalling 162 years have been handed out to ex-town councillors  and Calabrian or local business men. Fino Mornasco was described by magistrates in 2014 as ‘one of the most shining examples of a mafia controlled local council in Northern Italy’.

Two of the ‘ndrangheta members sentenced following the Insubria investigation

Should we be concerned by this? Or to be blunt, do we as foreign residents or visitors need to know about it? In one sense, no – because the activities of organised crime are almost invisible to the great majority living here and totally so to those visiting temporarily. Yet there are victims, with 400 incidents of intimidation in the Province of Como initiated by organised crime between 2008 and 2014 according to data gathered by the DDA. Additionally the long term effects of corruption debilitate the local economy with damage to both the environment and the fabric of towns and cities. This is why once in a while, and maybe particularly on the days set aside to remember and honour the victims of the Mafia, even we foreigners should be excused the use of the M word – always in the spirit of sympathy for the victims and to give moral support for those investigating and bringing mafia criminals to justice.

The tape hides the mouth because the mafia do not speak. It covers the eyes because the mafia get what they want without looking their victims in the face. Art by Rebecca from the Liceo Melotti.

21st March, the first day of spring, has now been designated an anniversary day for remembering the innocent victims of the Mafia. Here in Como, the pupils from the Liceo Artistico Melotti from Lomazzo  – a town close to both Fino Mornasco and Cermenate – staged an exhibition of art in the courtyard of Como’s Town Hall, Palazzo Cernezzi, as part of a school project entitled ‘Against the Mafia’. Their project was part of a series of activities organised by the ‘Movimento delle Agende Rosse’. The exhibition has done a tour of town councils in the Province of Como and will end up at the house of Paolo Borsellino’s son on the anniversary of his father’s  assassination in Palermo on the 19^th July 1992. The artwork by the students illustrates many aspects of the character and impact of organised crime and stands as a visual testimony to why we should publicise and challenge its presence. Certainly the assassinations of magistrates Falcone and Borsellino in 1992 were met with mass revulsion and popular resistance to what were audacious challenges to state authority. Since then, the mafia has avoided such provocative violent acts and, for those seeking to operate in the north, have followed a low key strategy of  gaining control in certain industrial sectors through the corruption of small town officials, hence their presence in Fino Mornasco.

Franco Trovato and gang members facing arrest and sentencing

The subject of the Metastasi investigation was the old-style ‘ndrangheta boss, Franco Covo Trovato, Calabrian in origin but resident in Lecco, Como’s lakeside sister city. He was arrested in September 1992 hiding out in his town centre headquarters – the Wall Street Pizzeria in Via Belfiore. He owned and used the pizzeria as his centre of operations from where he organised his empire of drug trafficking and money laundering. He met here with his henchmen giving out orders for the physical intimidation and assassination of his victims. He is now serving three life sentences and his property, including the pizzeria, has been seized by the state. Now, after a prolonged legal battle, the state has finally arranged for the sale of the pizzeria which has just now re-opened as the Pizzeria Fiore with a formal ceremony on 21st March (the day set aside for remembering the innocent victims of the Mafia). The opening ceremony that featured Lombardy Governor Roberto Maroni slicing the pizza, also included students reading out the names of the tens of local victims of Trovato’s criminal regime.

Sequestering of mafia property is proving successful in the fight against crime

Whilst organised crime is still very involved in drug trafficking, they try to invest its profits into legally established businesses operating primarily in construction and refuse management. They then seek commercial advantage by corrupting those local officials involved in the commissioning of projects or selection of suppliers. Although Milan’s recent Expo 2015 offered plenty of opportunities for this (a number of cases are now going through the courts), the focus has tended to switch to smaller local councils in and around the Milan hinterland – just like our own Fino Mornasco and Cermenate. It seems easier to forge corrupt relationships and more easily influence outcomes within these smaller public entities.

‘Contaminati’ by Miriam, Liceo Melotti. The thousand mafia eyes, whilst appearing colourful and friendly are actually observing and controlling us.

So who are the modern day victims of the mafia, assuming that the Trovato style of ill-disguised bullying has become a thing of the past? The DDA figures of 400 cases of mafia-led intimidation in the Province of Como can be broken down as follows: 270 cases involved malicious fire damage to property, 43 were non-mortal gun attacks, 19 were cases of objects thrown against property, 17 cases of damage to cars, 16 were threats over the phone and one case involved a murdered pet. Most of the victims of these incidents were business owners. 37 were owners of earth-moving companies, 15 were bar or night club owners, 13 were building companies, 12 were owners of service businesses and 5 owned garbage collection businesses. However there were some professional victims as well.

One aspect of the northern-style mafia which cannot be ignored is that some small to medium-sized businesses actively seek out a connection with an ‘ndrangheta family. The reason is that a mafia connection could help when seeking to persuade an unwilling client to pay an outstanding bill. There are unfortunately too many brazen individuals who treat paying a bill as a voluntary activity in the knowledge that to seek redress through the courts could take years and will most likely cost you more than you manage to recover. Thus the attraction of an extra-legal persuasion, or as the Italian expression goes  – ‘to have your shoulders covered’. Then there is always the chance that your business may itself profit from whatever projects the mafia manage to win.

‘The Monster’ by Samuele Liceo Melotti.

The subject of organised crime is a depressing one presenting a shameful side to some parts of the local business culture. However if we avoid the subject we then fail to recognise those who bravely seek to combat it. Truly the efforts of those ‘against the mafia’ shine out against the grey background of the morally compromised. Magistrates such as Ilda Boccassini demonstrate a courage and fortitude beyond my ability to comprehend. The students reading out the list of mafia victims at the rebirth of the Pizzeria Fiore are reclaiming an honest future for this enterprise that will obliterate a landmark of shame. The schoolchildren of the Liceo Artistico in Lomazzo are helping to keep the example of Falcone and Borsellino alive in all our minds, as well as giving us their interpretation of the true present-day nature of this criminal organisation.

From the ‘Against the Mafia’ exhibition by pupils from the Liceo Artistico Statale ‘F. Melotti’, Lomazzo

UPDATE – OCTOBER 2017

Evidence of Mafia involvement in political corruption, extortion and drug trafficking in Lombardy continues to increase. In September the Milan and Monza magistrates announced the arrest of a further 27 people for mafia-linked criminal activity.

The Tribunale (Palace of Justice) at Monza

The Mayor of Seregno under arrest

Back in April we reported on the heroic work of magistrates like Ilda Boccasini in revealing the extent of mafia corruption in Lombardy and including the Province of Como  through 3 investigations named Infinito, Metastasi and Insubria. The latest results from these long-running investigations include the house arrest of the Mayor of Seregno, two others under house arrest, three local politicians suspended from public office and twenty one others imprisoned. Seregno is part of the Province of Brianza on the northern edge of the Milanese hinterland. The mayor was charged with corruption and rewarding council contracts to  a construction boss known to be a member of an ‘ndrangheta clan. He now joins the company of another member of Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, its ex-vice president for Lombardy, Marco Mantovani. Mantovani was  arrested two years ago and remains under investigation for colluding with the ‘ndrangheta.

Cantu – Mafia violence in Piazza Garibaldi

The recent spate of arrests was carried out at dawn in the provinces of Monza, Milan, Pavia, Como and Reggio Calabria.

Ilda Boccasini stated: “After the last seven years of inquiries into the ‘ndrangheta in Lombardy, I can say it is a system built on ‘omerta’ and on the convenience of those who turn to the ‘anti-state’ for various benefits.” She added that mafia-fuelled corruption had sadly become systemic and also gratuitously violent.

Jailed leader of the Morabito clan – Giuseppe Morabito aka ‘Tiradrittu’

One location that had unfortunately been renowned for threats and violence was the area around Piazza Garibaldi in Cantu. The bar, club and shop owners there had been suffering since May 2015 from intimidation by the ‘ndrangheta who were seeking to force them into abandoning their businesses. The clan, led by Giuseppe Morabito, aka ‘Tiradrittu’ and originally from Africo in Reggio Calabria, made an armed attack on the Spazio discoteque on the 4^th October 2105 followed up by further attacks on the club’s security personnel later in the year as well as other acts of intimidation. Such blatant illegality shocked the locals and the authorities into taking effective action. Two of Tiradrittu’s grandsons were among the nine people arrested in late September for these incidents in Cantu.

The other main Mafia activity in Como Province has been dealing in cocaine. For this Mariano Comense, on the southern edge of the Province, has been identified as the main point for the mafia’s distribution of drugs up through the cities to the north. A Mafia arms cache was uncovered at nearby Cabiate on the southern borders of Mariano Comense.

It gives me no pleasure to recount such disquieting activity on Como’s doorstep even though the vast majority of residents or visitors are unlikely to be directly impacted by it. However we are all effected by political corruption and criminality indirectly and we do ourselves no service by seeking to ignore its presence.