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Mafia bust in Italy reveals horrifying extent of family ties running deep in Australi

Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky

Frumious Bandersnatch
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This handout picture released by the Italian Police press office shows police officers arresting a man, no name given, during an anti-mafia operation. Source: AFP

ITALIAN police have carried out a series of raids to smash a Mafia-led operation to smuggle cocaine to Australia that police say godfathers have now divided into six zones for trafficking drugs, extortion and money laundering.
And such is the entrenchment of Mafia links to Australia now, authorities say the country is virtually a state of Italy and it would be impossible to ever wipe out.

Authorities have uncovered a treasure trove of intelligence related to the fearsome Calabrian-based ‘Ndrangheta mafia group and their operations in Australia including members’ infiltration of key areas to assist in their trade, including transport and politics.

The police operation last week with raids on more than a dozen homes in Calabria has seen 14 members of clans linked to ‘Ndrangheta arrested and charged with “criminal association linked to international drugs tracking”, namely to Australia and Canada, with eight refused bail and the remaining six placed under house arrest.

One of those refused bail is a police officer tasked with protection of a port but instead was allegedly providing guidance on evading controls and security of the port area for the arrival and forwarding of consignments of drugs.

The case was the culmination of five years of work by the Central Operational Service of the Italian National Police, a specialist Italian police squad from Calabria and the district’s Anti-Mafia Prosecutor’s Office and had already led to arrests in Italy and Australia.

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Arms found by Italian police during an anti-mafia operation. Police nabbed two fugitive mobster bosses after discovering them "living like animals" in a mountain hideout. Source: AFPSource:AFP

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Giuseppe Crea sits in the hidden bunker where he was arrested. He faces 22-years in prison for Mafia association. Source: APSource:AP

AUSTRALIA’S MAFIA ‘ENTRENCHED’

Despite the success of arrests and uncovering intelligence on international operations through extensive listening devices, taps and surveillance, it may not assist the overall ‘Ndrangheta crime fight in Australia.

Italian police have now classed the mafia in Australia as so entrenched, they believe it would be impossible to stamp out completely with Australian police only able to make busts and arrests where they can.

“Australia is not a target nation anymore, it’s now like a state of Italy from a criminal perspective,” a senior Italian officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told News Corp Australia.

“They are entrenched in their activities and have been for a long time. They have not got an expansion strategy with your country anymore, it’s not expansion its consolidation. Australia, Canada, Belgium, United States, Germany are all
countries where these crimes are being consolidated.”

‘Ndrangheta work as strictly a family-based enterprise, affiliation having to be through blood relation. It’s a very closed mafia group because of the family links.”

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Gianfranco Tizzoni.Source:News Limited

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Rosario Gangemi.Source:Supplied

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Container ships pictured in the port of Gioia Tauro in Calabria, Italy. The police officer responsible for overseeing the site has been arrested for alleged ties to Mafia operations.Source:Alamy

FAMILY EMPIRES

According to evidence gathered by authorities, the group had designated six “locales” in Australia for Calabrian-linked mafia, not necessarily by State but by powerbase for both extended family support and drug importation markets as well as large-scale construction contracts, paying of backhanders and racketeering.

Each locale has its own mob boss that reports directly to Italy. Notably Sydney, South Australia and Melbourne have their own ‘Ndrangheta locale, well entrenched with fathers handing businesses down to sons and cousins. It’s the family ties that bind Italian organised crime to Australia and its large diaspora.

“In Italy we have hundreds of state witnesses from the Camorra, quite a few from the Sicilian Mafia but we only have five or six from the ‘Ndrangheta because squealing on ‘Ndrangheta means squealing on your mum, your dad, your uncle your cousin for this reason. That’s why the threat is so high.

“To be frank to some extent you have a bigger problem than they have in Europe because in Europe the big Calabrian communities outside Italy are in Belgium, Germany and Spain but in Australia the community there is much older than say Germany because the migrants have been there, well, since the end of the 19th Century. And it’s not just drugs, but big tendering processes, real big money to be made from tenders like building a motorway in Australia and you get 1 per cent of the bid and make $10 million without pushing a gram.”

THIN BLUE LINE
Italian police still lament the loss of the Australian Federal Police presence in Italy, with the post closed in 2002 and responsibility of law enforcement liaison with the country now done by an AFP agent based in Belgrade in Serbia which also has to handle liaison with police in Russia, Croatia, all of the Balkans, Malta and Greece; 22 countries in all.

An AFP spokeswoman ruled out reopening the agency’s Italian bureau.

“The AFP office in Belgrade is able to effectively cover Italy from that location,” she said.

“It is not possible to have AFP officers in every country around the world. The AFP places its personnel strategically to reflect the most efficient approach possible.”

She would not reveal whether efforts to investigate Australian mafia links would be stepped up, saying the AFP did not comment on operational matters.

A spokesperson for Justice Minister Michael Keenan said: “The Government takes advice from our intelligence, security and law enforcement agencies who are best placed to make informed personnel decisions.”

Belonging to the Mafia is a stand-alone offence in Italy whereas in many other countries, including Australia, association with the group is not a criminal offence.

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TIMELINE: DEADLY DONS DOWN UNDER
Known as “The Honoured Society”, the ‘Ndranghete has been Australia’s most powerful crime organisation since the early 20th century.

1922
According to an ASIO report, the Society began with the arrival of the ship re D’Italia in Adelaide, which carried three ‘Ndrangheta members who set up cells in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Domenico Strano established the Sydney cell, while Antonio Barbara set up in Melbourne. The Perth Don was never named.

1930
Godfather Domenico Italiano arrives in Melbourne and forms a partnership with Barbara, making Melbourne the most dominant cell.

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Domenico Italiano.Source:News Limited

1977
The shocking murder of politician Donald Mackay, who was a vocal anti-drugs campaigner, leads to a royal commission into organised crime that finds the ‘Ndrangheta are firmly entrenched in Australia.

1982
Drug runner Gianfranco Tizzoni is arrested and turns police informant. He says the Society has police and politicians on its payroll.

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The funeral of Rosario Gangemi at St Monica's Catholic Church in Moonee Ponds.Source:News Limited

1990
Canberra boss Pasquale Barbaro becomes an informant and tells police that Rosario Gangemi is Australia’s top Godfather

2008
Gangemi dies the same year that the ‘Ndrangheta are tied to the importation to Melbourne of 15 million ecstasy pills hidden in tins of tomatoes. At the time it was the biggest ecstasy bust in the world.

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Source: http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw...a/news-story/b6803431ac01ec3280cc0f735933f9a0
 
I bet those pills would have been really good too. Such a shame that our import pill scene went to shit. 15 million good pills would have gone all around Australia. I gather in years gone by well before that bust imports of a million or two pills would have come through and spread around the cities. It sux that it doesnt happen on mass anymore, you'd think it's still be worth doing for some of the importers who have their shit together with ways to get stuff through and corruption etc. I guess the profits in ice far outweigh the pills these days.
 
I wish it was the 70's again, where you could buy pure xtc over the counter at a pharmacy.

Instead all this junk gets sold which is far from the real thing.
 
noonoo said:
I wish it was the 70's again, where you could buy pure xtc over the counter at a pharmacy.

Instead all this junk gets sold which is far from the real thing.
Click to expand...
You could never buy pure mdma over the counter of a pharmacy...not in Australia or anywhere.
 
Not in Sydney (or Australia) afaik but I was surprised to read you could in Texas for a while in bars and clubs.

MDMA was first patented by Merck pharmaceuticals in 1912 before it was re-discovered in 1965 by US Chemist Alexander Shulgin. The drug gained popularity in the US among psychologists in the 1970s and early 1980s for enhancing patient communication. Known for creating feelings of empathy, emotional openness, increased energy, reduced anxiety and happiness, MDMA also established itself as a popular recreational drug. In 1984, MDMA was being legally marketed and sold as ecstasy over-the-counter at bars and clubs in Texas.

In Australia, police in Sydney first seized MDMA in 1986. Shortly after, the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (DPSC) recommended that all States prohibit MDMA. At this time, no drug problem with MDMA existed and no drug data was available. Compelled to conform to the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, the DPSC based its recommendation solely on the contentious decisions made by the DEA and the WHO. Australian States followed the DPSC recommendation, ultimately creating criminal offences for the use, possession and trafficking of MDMA and related drugs.

To this day, there is no clear supporting evidence for the decision to restrict MDMA use in Australia through the application of criminal law. Following posts will show how MDMA prohibition is unjustified, has failed to reach its narrow objective to restrict use, and has had damaging consequences.
Click to expand...

http://www.unharm.org/why_is_mdma_illegal_anyway

The early E's in Sydney when I was young were incredible. They cost a lot more than they do today, often they were 60 bucks and sometimes 70 or more on NYE's. The amount of people selling them at raves and nightclubs etc was pretty large too, always very easy to get hold of for us. My first experience on them was towards the end of 1990.
 
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Yeah i was well aware of them selling it in Texas. It was Sassyfras brand pills. It's never been available from a pharmacist though.
 
My first experience was with two mdma caps at the 1989 Sleaze Ball that i went to with some gay friends who sourced the caps for me. The next was caps of MDA which was fairly common back then and after that came Doves then the Cali whites and splits. Lots of good times were had.
 
Classic.

Me and my friends also went through a lot of MDA caps. One of our close friends was getting it in bulk and capping it up. Funny thing it was pretty weird colours (the powder inside the caps) like often pinkish. It was very strong though and again something I enjoyed. A cap or two would do us for most of the night at a rave, nightclub, doof or house party etc.

Was the Sleaze ball at the hordern and dome? I went there a few times around 1990/91 for a couple of events.
 
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Yeah the Sleaze was at the Hordern...it was wild. Then to after partys..it went on for 3 days.

There is actually plenty of good mdma in Australia. Especially in certain areas. If you end up moving to where you said you will find that high quality mdma and liquid acid are flowing.They have been since i can remember. ..
 
Yeah I have had a sugar cube and had crystal MD a few times, I didn't really think it was that great though. I may have under dosed or the stuff might have been average. It tested up great tho (the md).

I have a few contacts up there, so you are right I'll be able to get on it up there more, but I am also a bit over doing all that now. I dont feel the need or wont to much anymore, maybe a couple of times a year though. Hopefully I get some stuff that restores my faith in it.

I think being 40 and because I went pretty hard in my late teens and 20's and 30's that I shouldnt do it much anymore. I had so many crazy good experiences I dont need to chase that feeling anymore. Unlike a meth addict.
 
A bit of high quality lsd once a year is good for the soul brother :)
 
consumer said:
Yeah the Sleaze was at the Hordern...it was wild. Then to after partys..it went on for 3 days.

There is actually plenty of good mdma in Australia. Especially in certain areas. If you end up moving to where you said you will find that high quality mdma and liquid acid are flowing.They have been since i can remember. ..
Click to expand...

I have fond memories of Sleaze Ball and Rat parties, plus all the smaller events. Loved the first Happy Valley as well.

EDIT:

Happy Valley 1991...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uhs37IZstM
 
Number 2 got shut down, but it had run most of the night, even though the cops came and told the promoters to turn the music off, but as soon as the police left the music went back up again, then the police came back etc etc. The cops closed the party totally and kicked everyone off the site at like 5 or 7 am or something and it was a stupid and dangerous thing to do as no one had time to chill and thousands drove off and a few people crashed and died I think from memory.

I have vague memories another HV got shut down as well, but cant recall now.. Maybe 3 or 4? I think there was 4 of them all up. I only went to one though.

Another one was down at that scout place at Appin, but I didnt go, was that number 3? Not too sure.
 
I remember someone or some people dying in a car crash after one of the Happy Valley's. Was all over the news
 
“The ‘heterosexualising’ of dance music came to the fore around 1991-2 with the emergence of a strong heterosexual and at times homophobic rave scene brought by English tourists and ex-pats. The focus of the parties shifted from a ‘community event’ to the ‘music’. Gay music culture in Sydney became stereotyped along very traditional mainstream Oz lines – ‘they like disco and girly house’, whilst techno became the ‘new music'”.

There are ravers still going left from the Hordern days – Alexandra, 25, continued raving until the end of 1995 – “the great thing about the RAT parties and the Hordern was the people. Everyone was welcome and we had the best time every weekend……there was just this amazing feeling of ……being part of something special”. This attitude certainly reflects those of the rave scenes throughout the world in their embryonic state, before the divisions and splits by musical genre so apparent in today’s scene, or, as Alexandra put it, before “everyone got serious”. But on further questioning Alexandra revealed that those Sydney parties might not have been as all-encompassing and welcoming along class and geographical lines as, for example, England’s ‘Summer of Love’ – “yeah, I guess it was a bit cliquey – most of the people were from the inner-city or the North Shore”. This is an important point – rave culture for a long while was off limits to those in the western suburbs. Which is somewhat ironic when seen in the light of the utopian spiel which ravers like to partake in. Sydney’s early rave scene was inherently exclusive, much more than overseas dance centres such as London and San Francisco.


Back to Sydney – and by 1992 the rave scene had exploded. 1992 is regarded by all who were there, and even by those who weren’t there and joined the scene later, as the ‘peak’ of the rave scene. When interviewing DJ Jim Jams, who is one of the few DJ’s to still remain in the scene throughout the last 5-6 years, we encountered both nostalgia and bitterness towards the past – “1992 was the year of the 0055……(referring to the phone lines ravers had to ring up to find out the locations of the parties)……it was a fantastic time but people have got to realise it’s over and it’s not going to come back, stop complaining about the present condition and try to move in new directions – or just shut up”. Parties in 1992 such as Happy Valley, Ecology, Prodigy and Aztec are now part of rave folklore. Apparently, both the production, the people (and no doubt the drugs) were second to none. In the very names of the parties themselves there is blatant global imitation – they are simply ripped off from overseas parties. Is Australian dance culture really so unimaginative as to be incapable of thinking up names for its parties? Or is it conscious imitation on the part of the promoters in search of the biggest crowd they can get, aware of their audiences idolisation of UK and European dance culture? In any case the parties were extremely popular while still retaining that feeling of being ‘underground’ and subversive. However inevitable media attention arose. A number of ravers driving back from Happy Valley 2, which was put on down the south coast, were involved in fatal car accidents. The media leapt upon the incidents, and this signaled the start of a hostile relationship between the media and raves. It was also the first time that wider society in Australia found about the term ‘rave’ and the sub-culture which went with it (years later than in the UK). What had not been mentioned in the press was that the police had closed down the party extremely early, and this resulted in people still being ‘off their heads’ when driving back.

http://ohmsnotbombs.net/sporadical/australian-dance-culture-by-michael-park-gareth-northwood
 
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