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{{About|the criminal organization|the 1963 film|I basilischi}} |
{{About|the criminal organization|the 1963 film|I basilischi}} |
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The '''Basilischi''' is a [[mafia]]-type criminal organization active in the [[Basilicata]] region, founded in [[Potenza]] in 1994 with the approval of the [['Ndrangheta]]. Its status as a mafia group was only recognized on December 21, 2007, with a verdict from the Potenza Court that sentenced twenty-six defendants to a total of 242 years in prison.<ref name=history>{{cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/633694|title=Fifth Column: Italy's Fifth Mafia, the Basilischi|first=Anna |last=Sergi}}</ref> |
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The '''Basilischi''' ({{IPA|it|baziˈliski|lang}}) was an [[organized crime]] group based in [[Basilicata]], [[Southern Italy]], officially formed in 1994 by Giovanni Luigi Cosentino in [[Potenza]]. According to the national anti-mafia prosecutor's office, the areas with Basilischi strongholds are those of [[Policoro]], [[Montalbano Jonico]], [[Pisticci]], [[Scanzano Jonico]], the [[Val d'Agri]] and the [[Vulture (region)|Vulture region]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://storiografia.me/2012/12/16/antonio-de-lisa-i-basilischi-lucani-la-quinta-mafia-ditalia/|title=Antonio De Lisa- I Basilischi lucani – La quinta mafia d'Italia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/it/article/vbk73b/mafia-basilischi|title=Ascesa e caduta dei Basilischi, la mafia italiana che voleva imitare la 'ndrangheta|date=14 June 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://corrieredipolicoro.blogspot.it/2017/07/mafia-la-basilicata-e-sempre-assediata.html|title=Mafia: la Basilicata è sempre assediata|date=2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.giornalettismo.com/archives/1726303/mafia-ndrangheta-camorra-mappa-clan/|title=Mafia, 'ndrangheta, camorra: la mappa dei clan|date=5 February 2015 }}</ref> |
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==Origin of the Name== |
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An ancient term, used as far back as [[Pliny the Elder]] to refer to a lethal reptile of the time, the name is known to the general public, especially due to Lina Wetmuller's film "[[I Basilischi]]" (1963). It carries a double meaning, representing both a large and lazy human lizard and an inhabitant of [[Basilicata]]. The name gained renewed fame through the second chapter of the [[Harry Potter]] saga, where the [[Basilisk]] was a huge and deadly mythological serpent. The Basilischi adopted this name as a symbol of their origins and their dangerous nature.<ref name="history" /> |
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On 22 April 1999, 84 orders for pre-trial custody were issued by the Prosecutor's Office in Potenza. That started what became known as the "maxi-trial", which jailed the main figures of the Basilischi and demonstrated their existence and strength in Basilicata.<ref name=history>{{cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/633694|title=Fifth Column: Italy's Fifth Mafia, the Basilischi|first=Anna |last=Sergi}}</ref> The maxi-trial concluded in 2007, with a 700-page summation by the judges and the sentencing of 26 people for mafia association to a total of 242 years in prison. In a ruling dated 30 October 2012, the Court of Appeal of Potenza confirmed the existence of the Basilischi.<ref>[https://books.google.it/books?id=8MlCDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA646&lpg=PA646&dq=Il+30+ottobre+2012+la+Corte+d%27appello+di+Potenza+ha+confermato+la+sussistenza+del+clan+mafioso+dei+%E2%80%9CBasilischi%E2%80%9D.&source=bl&ots=VUckt6aJy1&sig=ACfU3U3iR5o2moO0ECuZz44urRNDoKP_zw&hl=it&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj_2eDnl87nAhXmw8QBHdZmAT0Q6AEwAXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=Il%2030%20ottobre%202012%20la%20Corte%20d'appello%20di%20Potenza%20ha%20confermato%20la%20sussistenza%20del%20clan%20mafioso%20dei%20%E2%80%9CBasilischi%E2%80%9D.&f=false ''La mafia dell'antimafia prima parte'' pag. 646]</ref> |
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==History and Evolution== |
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[[Basilicata]], a land ripe for conquest by [[mafia]] organizations in the wake of the [[1930 Irpinia earthquake|Irpinia Earthquake]] reconstruction, became a business opportunity for traditional mafia groups, particularly the [['Ndrangheta]], in the early 1990s. This was due to the [[Fiat]] industry in the [[Vulture (region)|Vulture]] area and oil extraction in [[Val'd Agri oil field|Val d'Agri]]. |
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The conviction of many high-profile members of the clan caused the group to become fractured and fall further under the influence of the more powerful [[Calabria]]n-based [['Ndrangheta]].<ref name="history" /> |
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Similar to the story of the [[Sacra Corona Unita]], the disorganized local criminal activity actively collaborated in the illicit dealings of mafia organizations, even trying to emulate them from an organizational standpoint to maximize criminal activity benefits. In 1991, there was an initial attempt to establish the "Nuova Famiglia Lucana," which, however, failed due to political and judicial repression and delayed approval from the 'Ndrangheta. The 'Ndrangheta was using Basilicata as a refuge for fugitives, a hiding place for hostages, and a recruitment center to pursue criminal activities in the region, connecting with almost all indigenous criminal groups. |
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In 1994, there was a turning point: Giovanni Luigi Cosentino, known as "Gino 'o faccia d'angelo," began recruiting members for the new unified organization from the prison in [[Potenza]], which had received the blessing of the 'Ndrangheta, particularly from the Morabito of [[Africo]] Nuovo and the Pesce and Serraino families of [[Rosarno]]. |
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The Basilischi developed their core business, [[narcotics trafficking]], by acquiring drug shipments from the [[Giuseppe Morabito|Morabito family]] in Africo and the De Luca family in [[Crotone]]. They quickly established a dominant role in the [[Illegal drug trade|drug trade]] throughout [[Basilicata]]. Through the use of violence, Cosentino and his associates aimed to monopolize [[extortion]], [[Contract|public contracts]], [[arms trafficking]], and the crucial electoral market. This project faced resistance and hostility from other criminal clans operating in the region, such as the Martorano clan in [[Potenza]], the Zito clan in [[Montescaglioso]], and the Scarcia clan in [[Policoro]]. |
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The Scarcia clan, in particular, had been the dominant clan on the Ionian coast for years but had experienced several defections in favor of the Basilischi. Punishment for the "traitors" resulted in a series of brutal beatings, but ultimately, the Scarcia clan had to yield and, after reaching agreements with Cosentino, ended up joining the Basilischi. |
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In the Vulture region (Northern Basilicata), the Basilischi formed a blood pact with two powerful mafia clans, the Martucci and Cassotta clans. In Potenza, however, the clan led by Renato Martorano, baptized by Saverio "Don Saru" Mammoliti, obstructed the activities of the Basilischi in every way. |
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Despite some heinous murders, including that of the Gianfredi spouses, the Basilischi managed to maintain their veil of invisibility that ensured their prosperity in business until 1998. This continued until Giovanna Danese, Cosentino's companion and sister of Michele (the leader of the criminal organization), began a romantic relationship with another man, betraying the boss while he was still in prison. To restore his honor, Cosentino ordered his brother to carry out an "act of loyalty" to the organization, which meant eliminating his sister. However, Michele refused, sealing his own death sentence. |
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Having survived an ambush in the "Contrada Dragonara" of Potenza, Danese decided to cooperate with the authorities, tearing away the veil of invisibility that shrouded the organization. After him, many others followed suit. This allowed the Prosecutor's Office in Potenza to launch the so-called "Operation Basilischi," which began on April 22, 1999, leading to the imprisonment of all the top leaders of the organization. On December 21, 2007, after 35 days of deliberation, the court sentenced 37 of the 80 defendants to approximately 150 years in prison (242 when considering the sentences of minor defendants), recognizing the mafia association for 26 of them. During the trial, there was also an attack on the lead prosecutor, Vincenzo Montemurro, by one of the defendants who had exited the defendant's enclosure. Additionally, there was a thwarted attempt to carry out an attack against the other lead prosecutor, Genovese. |
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After his brother-in-law's defection, Cosentino lost credibility and was effectively excluded from an agreement that other members of the organization made with the [[Sacra Corona Unita|Sacra Corona Unita (SCU)]] and the [['Ndrangheta]]. Upon his release from prison, he handed over control of his group to the boss Antonio Cossidente. Suspected of having ties to intelligence services, in 2004, a faction of the Basilischi split off, forming an autonomous group led by the Riviezzi family from [[Pignola]], a municipality of 7,000 people in the hinterland of [[Potenza]]. |
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While Cossidente and his associates specialized in [[money laundering]] from the [[Illegal drug trade|drug trade]], investing it in the world of [[Association football|soccer]], the Riviezzi family focused mainly on nightclub security, extortion, and drug trafficking. The 2007 verdict disintegrated the family, which was now in disarray, leading even bosses like Cosentino and Cossidente to cooperate with the justice system. |
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On Tuesday, October 30, 2012, the judges of the Court of Appeals in Potenza confirmed the first-degree sentences for several individuals, including Giovanni Cosentino (21 years in prison), Santo Bevilacqua (3 years), Mario Castellaneta (3 years and 10 months), Antonio Cossidente (6 years), Michele Danese (4 years and 8 months), Giuseppe D'Elia (7 years), Antonio De Paola (7 years and 2 months), Vincenzo Di Cecca (4 years and six months), Gennaro Durante (7 years and 2 months), Angelo Greco (7 years and two months), Giuseppe Lopatriello (7 years and six months), Franco Mancino (8 years), Riccardo Martucci (6 years), Silvano Mingolla (7 years), Antonio Mitidieri (6 years), Francesco Pontiero (7 years and two months), Saverio Riviezzi (10 years and 10 months), Nazzareno Santarsiero (3 years and 4 months), Antonio Santoro (7 years), Egidio Santoro (6 years), Nicola Sarli (5 years), Cosimo Sasso (5 years and several months), Salvatore Scarcia (7 years and two months), and Carlo Troia (13 years and 11 months). |
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== Structure == |
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The structure of the Basilischi organization was described by Cossidente during one of his interrogations after deciding to cooperate with the justice system. Originally, the head of the organization was Cosentino, and under him, there were regional leaders for various areas of Basilicata (Martucci in [[Vulture (region)|Vulture]], D'Elia in [[Matera|Materano]], Lopatriello in Metapontino, Cossidente in [[Potenza|Potentino]], Riviezzi in [[Pignola|Pignolese]]). |
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According to the DDA (Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia) of Potenza, today, there are five families stemming from the original Basilischi group, all on an equal footing and with different operational areas (Potenza, Pignola, Vulture Melfese, [[Venosa]], Fascia Jonica Metapontina). |
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== Economy and Criminal Activities == |
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The Basilischi specialize in a range of criminal activities and illicit businesses, including [[Arms trafficking|arms]] and [[Illegal drug trade|drug trafficking]], [[usury]], [[extortion]], [[gambling]], [[Robbery|robberies]], possession, [[Explosive|trade of explosives]], [[Ecomafia|illegal disposal of toxic waste]], as well as controlling electoral votes. |
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== Relations with Politics == |
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Like any mafia organization, relationships with politics were crucial for infiltrating the administrative fabric at the municipal level, often accomplished through vote-buying. With the help of corrupt officials and politicians, the Basilischi have been able to control public contracts, concessions, and administrative authorizations to further their illicit activities. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Latest revision as of 02:18, 20 September 2024
The Basilischi (Italian: [baziˈliski]) was an organized crime group based in Basilicata, Southern Italy, officially formed in 1994 by Giovanni Luigi Cosentino in Potenza. According to the national anti-mafia prosecutor's office, the areas with Basilischi strongholds are those of Policoro, Montalbano Jonico, Pisticci, Scanzano Jonico, the Val d'Agri and the Vulture region.[1][2][3][4]
On 22 April 1999, 84 orders for pre-trial custody were issued by the Prosecutor's Office in Potenza. That started what became known as the "maxi-trial", which jailed the main figures of the Basilischi and demonstrated their existence and strength in Basilicata.[5] The maxi-trial concluded in 2007, with a 700-page summation by the judges and the sentencing of 26 people for mafia association to a total of 242 years in prison. In a ruling dated 30 October 2012, the Court of Appeal of Potenza confirmed the existence of the Basilischi.[6]
The conviction of many high-profile members of the clan caused the group to become fractured and fall further under the influence of the more powerful Calabrian-based 'Ndrangheta.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Antonio De Lisa- I Basilischi lucani – La quinta mafia d'Italia".
- ^ "Ascesa e caduta dei Basilischi, la mafia italiana che voleva imitare la 'ndrangheta". 14 June 2016.
- ^ "Mafia: la Basilicata è sempre assediata". 2017.
- ^ "Mafia, 'ndrangheta, camorra: la mappa dei clan". 5 February 2015.
- ^ a b Sergi, Anna. "Fifth Column: Italy's Fifth Mafia, the Basilischi".
- ^ La mafia dell'antimafia prima parte pag. 646