Gangmastering and aiding and abetting illegal immigration, ten under investigation in Terme Vigliatore. Four precautionary measures were carried out shortly after dawn yesterday by the police. Entrepreneurs in the horticultural sector and managers of patronages are involved. The investigation is coordinated by the Barcelona Public Prosecutor’s Office, directed by Giuseppe Verzera, who delegated the soldiers of the Terme Vigliatore station and the Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto company, who implemented four precautionary measures, ordered by the judge for preliminary investigations Giuseppe Caristia at the request of the deputy prosecutor Dora Esposito, as part of a complex investigation into gangmastering and the aiding and abetting of illegal immigration in the horticultural sector of Terme Vigliatore and even from Milazzo.
A complex system of labor exploitation and illicit recruitment and use of foreign labor has been brought to light. The most serious precautionary measure, that of detention in prison, was carried out against the Tunisian Salem Mizouri, 48 years old, who lived in the Dromo di Furnari district, considered the key man who acted as an intermediary and regulated the flow of the labor market in the nurseries of Terme Vigliatore and the neighboring towns. Mizouri was arrested in Castelvetrano, where he had moved having heard of the investigation against him.
The brothers Giuseppe and Salvatore Valenti, 48 and 42 years old, owners of two nurseries, the “Valenti Giuseppe” and the “Hesperidium Group” were instead confined under house arrest, with the requirement not to communicate with people other than their cohabitants or those who assist them: they are held responsible for having managed the employment of workers in exploitative conditions, together with Salvatore Giunta, also owner of a company in the sector and under house arrest, nurseryman of 47 years old, resident in the San Biagio hamlet of Terme Vigliatore, who are accused of the most serious crime of illicit intermediation and labor exploitation. For the six people under investigation who remained in a state of freedom, however, a crime for which the precautionary measure was not triggered is alleged: in fact, in competition with each other, for the purpose of profit, they would have carried out activities aimed at illegally procuring the entry and stay in Italian territory of foreign workers.
They are the nurserymen Salvatore Triscari Barberi, 56 years old, originally from Tortorici; Carmelo De Pasquale, 61 years old, originally from Castroreale; Carmelo Anania, 42 years old, from Milazzo. Among these, the figure of Anna Lo Bianco, 47 years old, owner of the Inapi patronage based in Terme Vigliatore, stands out for her alleged involvement in the preparation and receipt of false documentation aimed at obtaining authorizations and entry visas for foreign workers.
According to the accusation, the woman would have forwarded applications under the so-called “Flow Decree” despite being aware of the falsity of the certificates and without attaching the necessary documentation, in order to facilitate the entry and regularization of labor destined for the companies involved.
Another suspect, Vincenzo Lsala, 62 years old, resident in Barcelona and manager of a service centre, allegedly sought and provided the fictitious documentation necessary to complete the entry and residence procedures. Mario Carmelo Sciotto, 65 years old, owner of a property in Terme Vigliatore, is accused of having provided false declarations of hospitality to foreign citizens, upon payment, to allow them to obtain residence permits. The contested activities took place mainly between May and October 2024 in Terme Vigliatore and partly also in the Milazzo area.
The investigators hypothesize that foreign workers were forced to work ten-hour shifts per day, without respecting rest periods and holidays, with wages lower than the contractual minimums (5 euros per hour instead of 16) and in the absence of social security and insurance protections. Furthermore, the provision of personal protective equipment was apparently omitted, exposing employees to risks to their safety. The lawyers Giuseppe Sottile, Sebastiano Campanella and Angelo Puglisi are involved in the defense.