Giuseppe Coluccio

Giuseppe Coluccio (April 12, 1966) is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta. He was a fugitive since 2005 and included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his capture on August 7, 2008, in Toronto (Canada). [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080808.witalymob0808/BNStory/International/home Calabrian mob boss arrested in Toronto, officials say] , The Globe and Mail, August 8, 2008] it icon [http://www.repubblica.it/2008/06/sezioni/cronaca/ndrangheta-3/preso-toronto/preso-toronto.html 'Ndrangheta, arrestato a Toronto il boss Giuseppe Coluccio] , La Repubblica, August 8, 2008]

Biography

Born in 'Ndrangheta family

Coluccio was born in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica a seaside town on southern Italy's Ionian coast. He was the first of three sons born into a traditonal 'Ndrangheta family. Before he reached his teens, his father was murdered in Siderno during a bloody feud that ravaged competing 'Ndrangheta clans. The clan survived and eventually rose to prominence under the leadership of Giuseppe Coluccio. The clan achieved an "unbreakable" monopoly on the sale of fish through the "power of intimidation" that was so strong the fisherman declared it a "law" that they answered to the clan, according to Italian Antimafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri in a dossier for Canadian authorities. Proceeds from the monopoly were invested in a "vast drug-trafficking operation in cocaine." [http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=727759 Life of luxury on hold] , National Post, August 16, 2008]

His first arrested was in 1991 for drug dealing and trafficking. Since then, various investigations identified him as a key player in the import of cocaine from Colombia for a cartel of 'Ndrangheta clans in cooperation with Roberto Pannunzi, who brokered the deals in Latin America.it icon [http://www.melitoonline.it/index.php/home/Regionale/Cronaca/Arrestato-in-Canada-Giuseppe-Coluccio-inserito-nell-elenco-dei-primi-30-latitanti-piu-pericolosi Arrestato in Canada Giuseppe Coluccio inserito nell’elenco dei primi 30 latitanti più pericolosi] , Melito online, August 8, 2008]

He was also involved in trafficking heroin from Turkey, smuggled in by fishing boats controlled by the Coluccio-Aquino 'Ndrina in Gioiosa Ionica. [http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2402866415 Mob boss arrest uncovers alleged murder plot] , ADN Kronos, August 8, 2008] He is a cousin of Rocco Aquino and Giuseppe Aquino, the bosses of the cosca in the town.

Fugitive

He has been a fugitive since 2005 when he fled charges on drug trafficking in relation to an operation by the Italian police arresting 30 people (Operation Nostromo), that also included his brother Salvatore Coluccio. Leading 'Ndrangheta bosses around Toronto were told to expect the Coluccios before they even arrived. His youngest brother, Antonio Coluccio, who is not facing charges in Italy, arrived first and settled with his Canadian wife in Richmond Hill. His brothers came soon after. Coluccio entered on the powerful Camera di Controllo – the board of control for 'Ndrangheta clans, comprising six or seven Toronto-area men, who co-ordinate activities and resolves disputes among Calabrian gangsters in Southern Ontario.

He apparently also aligned himself with members of the Sicilian Mafia, in particular with Giuseppe "Big Joe" Cuntrera, a member of the Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia family operating in Canada and Venezuela and involved in large scale cocaine trafficking.it icon [http://www.ilgiornale.it/a.pic1?ID=281935 Toronto, arrestato il boss Giuseppe Coluccio] , Il Giornale, August 8, 2008] Police allege Coluccio continued trafficking "substantial quantities" of cocaine and hashish from South America while he was living in Canada.

Coluccio was arrested on August 7, 2008, outside a strip mall in Markham, Ontario, north of Toronto. He stayed at The Palace Pier, a luxury condominium overlooking Lake Ontario. He had been hiding in Canada for nearly three years under a false identity and is wanted for drug related offences, charges of Mafia association and extortion. [http://www.canada.com/cityguides/fortstjohn/story.html?id=321cd7c5-9d45-43f6-beb2-d86d20855473 RCMP nab suspected Mafia kingpin] , Canwest News Service, August 8, 2008] He was extradited from Canada to Italy on August 19, 2008. [http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=737654 Suspected mob boss extradited to Italy] , Canwest News Service, August 21, 2008]

References

External links

*it icon [http://video.sky.it/services/link/bcpid1445085911/bctid1716483646 Video on the arrest of Coluccio]