Operation “Risiko”: the investigations conducted by the Carabinieri of the ROS of Reggio Calabria, which culminated in the execution of an arrest ordered by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate led by the prosecutor Giuseppe Borrelli, brought to light not only associative dynamics and internal relations within the Commisso gang operating in Siderno and abroad, but also ambitious commercial projects that some members of the clan were attempting to launch on an international scale. A sector, the agri-food and fishing sector, which in recent years has proven to be fertile ground for investments, cover-ups and attempts at economic expansion by criminal organisations. The central figure of this plan is Antonio Commisso, born in 1980, who according to investigators showed a strong interest in starting an export business of food products to Canada, with particular attention to two supply chains: frozen fish, coming from Morocco and bergamot, an agricultural excellence of the Reggio area.
The project, it was intended, should have been based on the involvement of an uncle of the suspect, a figure considered by the investigators to be a real operational intermediary, capable of establishing contacts, organizing meetings and maintaining connections between the various subjects involved. In a conversation intercepted by the ROS carabinieri, the Commissos’ intentions emerged: «The guy with the fish is a friend of Calandra… as soon as he gives me confirmation that there is someone who wants to buy them, we create the fish channel… you tell him that the fish come from Morocco and they send them directly to Canada… I have to meet him these days so he can tell me how they do it».
Involved for the part relating to bergamot are owners of agricultural companies based in Brancaleone and Careri
The investigations made it possible to reconstruct a dense network of relationships that revolved around the commercial project. In particular, with some key figures for the fishing sector, who boasted contacts with Moroccan companies, as well as interlocutors identified only as “Hicham”, “Michele” and “Josef”. For the part relating to bergamot, owners of agricultural companies based in Brancaleone and Careri were involved. The investigators also recorded the intention on the part of the Commissos to set up a company intended for the marketing of products in large-scale distribution, while being careful to avoid direct connections between the commercial project and the figures of the alleged “heads of families” who had had legal problems. As of January 29, 2020, this company was not yet established. Investigators have ascertained that the commercial intentions were never fully realized. However, the reconstruction of the project offers a significant insight into the economic strategies of the gang, increasingly oriented towards diversifying its interests and entering international commercial chains, exploiting apparently legitimate channels and highly profitable products.