The Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza of Reggio Calabria executed a sentence issued by the Court of Appeal of Reggio Calabria, which became irrevocable following the ruling of the Supreme Court of Cassation, with which the definitive confiscation of goods was ordered, for a total value of over 21 million euros, against belonging to a Reggio entrepreneurial group contiguous to the ‘Ndrangheta.
An ablative provision that definitively brings the investigation to the conclusion which, already in 2020, had led to a first property seizure ordered by the Court of Reggio Calabria – Section Prevention Measures, on the proposal of the local Public Prosecutor’s Office – District Anti -Mafia Directorate, on the basis of what is found in the context of a specific investigation activity of the Guardia di Finanza of Reggio Calabria and during the “Heliatus” operation (always performed in the operation. 2020).
The investigative results revealed the contiguity of the entrepreneurial group especially with the Labate gang, operating in the Slot Machines rental sector, the tools for the practice of online games and the management of betting centers.
The corporate team, coming to Patti with the criminal consortium, imposed itself on the territory in the dominant position, exploiting the protection of the partnership to affirm the entrepreneurial activity in the sector, thus increasing profits.
And this also by implementing criminal conduct in the management of companies, such as the abusive concession of credit lines to customers, the exercise of illegal game and extortion aggravated by the mafia method (as in the event that, in 2012, a “bowler hat” had been put to force a debtor to honor a payment of 60 thousand euros).
The recipients of the patrimonial measure in 2009 had inherited, with the favor of the criminal sponsorship of the ‘Ndrangheta, the large slice of the market previously managed by another entrepreneur from Reggio – known as the “King of video games” – then definitively condemned in 2014 for various crimes aggravated by the mafia method, as well as affected in 2015 by a personal prevention and assets of “belonging to” belonging ” Mafia “. From that moment on, the profits of the companies attributable to the same proposed have undergone a sudden surge, generating further wealth at the basis of expansion also in Milanese territory.
This evidentiary framework has been further supported by multiple declarations of several collaborators of justice of significant thickness – considered of solid reliability in the competent judicial locations – who confirmed the close links of the entrepreneurs subject to confiscation with exponents of the Labate gang, responsible for the management of multiple illegal activities, including those linked to games and bets, especially in the Gebbione districts and. Bars.
Among other things, relations with an exponent of the criminal organization that received regular payment of money from a company have emerged without carrying out any work activity on behalf of the same, as well as with a second subject who, in the interest of the entrepreneurial group and the consortium to which they belong, was in charge of various tasks, from credit recovery – also with extortion methods – to “private police” services in the event of small theft of money at the rooms at betting or playing.
It was therefore considered the social danger of the recipients of the measure (one of which died in the course of the first instance judgment), as “entrepreneurs colluded with the ‘ndrangheta capable of managing in an equal position in the interchange relations with the local crime gangs” and awaits their dedication to the commission of crimes both of an extortion nature and in the field of abusive exercise of the credit bets.
In this regard, the patrimonial investigation carried out by the Reggio Calabria Guardia di Finanza Group has brought up a patrimonial compendium directly in the availability of the members of the aforementioned entrepreneurial group, the value of which was decidedly disproportionate to their manifested income skills.
In light of this, first, the Prevention Measures section of the Court of Reggio Calabria has ordered the seizure of prevention of the assets. This provision was then confirmed by the subsequent sentence issued by the Court of Appeal of Reggio Calabria (except for 4 properties), which became irrevocable following the ruling of the Supreme Court of Cassation, with which it was therefore ordered the final confiscation on all the assets already in seizure, consisting of 4 real estate (homes and land), 7 companies and financial resources, for a total value estimated at over 21 million euros.