Latest news with #mafia
Times
a day ago
- Times
Alarm in Sicily as sister of feared Mafia boss is released
The sister of Italy's most notorious mafia fugitive has been freed from prison and returned to her home town in Sicily, prompting concerns she could inherit the legacy of a man accused of 50 murders who once boasted he 'filled a cemetery' single-handed. Matteo Messina Denaro, the brutal Cosa Nostra boss from Castelvetrano, was a key figure in the 1992 assassinations of the anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, as well as the kidnapping of an 11-year-old boy who was held for two years before being strangled and dissolved in acid. For three decades he was Italy's most wanted man, running his empire from hiding with the help of a network of loyalists. He was arrested in January 2023 and died in prison eight months later . During his long fugitive years, family members helped run his criminal operations, smuggling handwritten instructions to businessmen, corrupt officials and clan leaders.
The Independent
17-07-2025
- The Independent
Pennsylvania politician says he shot someone ‘point-blank' as a teen
Mel Witherspoon, a member of Erie City Council in Pennsylvania, confessed during a council meeting that he shot someone in the head as a 17-year-old gang member. He revealed he only spent one night in jail and never faced court for the shooting due to his connections with the mafia in New Jersey. The confession was made during a council meeting held in response to the recent shooting of 43-year-old Marchello Woodard by a state parole agent. Witherspoon said he shared his past experience because his son's mention of Marchello brought back memories. Watch the video in full above.
The Independent
17-07-2025
- The Independent
City Councilman says he shot someone in the head and the mafia got him off
Watch the bizarre moment that a city councilman revealed that he shot someone in the head but was able to escape punishment thanks to his connections in the mafia. The confession came during a council meeting on Wednesday (16 May) that was held in response to the shooting of 43-year-old Marchello Woodard by a state parole agent earlier this month. As residents called for justice for Mr Woodward, councilman Mel Witherspoon revealed that as a 17-year-old gang member, he shot some 'point-blank'. He said he 'only stayed one night in jail and never went to court' due to him having links to the mafia in New Jersey. Mr Witherspoon said he shared the story as 'when my son told me about Marchello, it all came back'.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Yahoo
Colombia arrests alleged leader of Italian mafia in Latin America
Colombian authorities have captured an alleged leader of the Italian 'Ndrangheta mafia in Latin America who is accused of overseeing cocaine shipments and running illegal trafficking routes to Europe. Police on Friday identified the suspect as Giuseppe Palermo, also known as 'Peppe', an Italian national who was wanted under an Interpol red notice, which called for his arrest in 196 countries. He was nabbed on the street in Colombia's capital Bogota during a coordinated operation between Colombian, Italian and British authorities, as well as Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, according to an official report. Palermo is believed to be part of 'one of the most tightly knit cells' of the 'Ndrangheta mafia, said Carlos Fernando Triana, head of the Colombian police. The 'Ndrangheta, one of Italy's most powerful, ruthless and clandestine criminal organisations, has increasingly wielded its influence overseas and is widely accused of importing cocaine into Europe. The suspect 'not only led the purchase of large shipments of cocaine in Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, but also controlled the maritime and land routes used to transport the drugs to European markets', Triana added. Illegal cocaine production reached 3,708 tonnes in 2023, an increase of nearly 34% from the previous year, driven mainly by the expansion of coca leaf cultivation in Colombia, according to the United Nations. The global illicit drug trade, including cocaine, is estimated to be worth more than $500bn annually.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Yahoo
Colombia authorities arrest alleged leader of Italian 'ndrangheta mafia in Latin America
Colombian authorities said Friday they captured an alleged leader of the Italian 'ndrangheta mafia in Latin America who is accused of overseeing cocaine shipments and managing illegal trafficking routes to Europe.
