«When it comes to friends, I’m interested… with others I chase them away in a bad way… but there are those who can be kicked out and those who can’t». It is in this sentence that the discretionary power exercised by the boss Pino Piromalli over the territory of Gioia Tauro is condensed. And again: «This friend needs… we have to give it to him», or «we know that Pino Piromalli is there and before we do a job…», up to the most explicit summary: «you always keep in mind that Piromalli is your friend… and there’s no running away».
These are passages which, read as a whole, convey the substance of the “Res Tauro” investigation: a system in which economic initiative is subordinated to informal but essential authorisation, that of the gang leader. In Gioia Tauro, to work, capital, ideas or entrepreneurial skills were not enough: the green light from the ‘Ndrangheta was needed. This is the picture that emerges from the investigation documents, where the port and its industrial area appear as a space regulated by criminal balances even before market rules.
The dialogue between Piromalli and this “Enzino”, an entrepreneur from Gioia, is, in this sense, paradigmatic. The boss clarifies the rules: “outsiders” are rejected, but not when they belong to allied gangs. In that case a logic of reciprocity takes over which requires favoring them even at the cost of sacrificing local interests. “They are our friends”, he explains, implying that mafia membership is a preferential qualification for doing business.
It is in this context that Piromalli explains to “Enzino” what is being asked of him: a real step backwards to allow a subject linked to the ‘Ndrangheta of the Ionian area to settle in the area, effectively giving up space and economic opportunities. The boss is clear: “this friend needs… we have to give it to him”, then also clarifying the concrete object of the operation: “if he wants that piece of land… temporary… in front… which there are six hundred meters of land…”. And it lays out the final phase even more clearly: “when they are ready, you give them the keys”. “Enzino” understands the meaning of the request and complies without opposition: «he can go, he can go and do what he… I’m gathering my things and I’m leaving».
Strengthening the picture is the passage in which Piromalli recalls a concrete case, that of Antonino Mangione, indicated as an example of an entrepreneur in whom the gang had direct interests. A case that today takes on further relevance, because his position among the suspects creates obvious embarrassment on a public level, in light of his family ties with the mayor Scarcella.
The words are explicit: «from Gioia… a man from Gioia came, and we placed him in Vibo… we placed him… so that he can do his business, right?… from Vibo then… he is in the port of Gioia…». A movement that photographs the logic of compensation between gangs: spaces granted elsewhere in exchange for access to the strategic territory of the port.
