Basilischi

This article is about the criminal organization. For the 1963 film, see I basilischi.

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.

Origin of the Name

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.

History and Evolution

Basilicata, a land ripe for conquest by mafia organizations in the wake of the 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 area and oil extraction in Val d'Agri.⁣

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.⁣

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.

The Basilischi developed their core business, narcotics trafficking, by acquiring drug shipments from the Morabito family in Africo and the De Luca family in Crotone. They quickly established a dominant role in the drug trade throughout Basilicata. Through the use of violence, Cosentino and his associates aimed to monopolize extortion, 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.