The Inzerillo Mafia clan (Italian pronunciation: [indzeˈrillo]) is a Sicilian Mafia clan, formerly among the most powerful in Sicily, for at least half a century they were considered the "aristocracy of Palermo's mafia".[1]
| Founded | 1950s |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Salvatore Inzerillo |
| Founding location | Palermo, Sicily |
| Years active | 1950s-present |
| Territory | Metropolitan City of Palermo |
| Ethnicity | Sicilians |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking and money laundering |
| Allies | Bontade Mafia family Greco Mafia clan Gambino crime family Calderone Mafia family |
| Rivals | Corleonesi |
The Inzerillo family was associated with the former American Mafia boss Carlo Gambino and his family. In the modern era, the Inzerillo clan had been associated with John Gambino through heroin trafficking, and also has links to the deceased former Gambino family boss, Frank Cali.
History
editFounded in 1950s, by Salvatore "Totuccio" Inzerillo, the Inzerillo Mafia clan was a historical ally of Stefano Bontade, and were organizers of large trafficking of morphine from the Far East.[1][2][3]
The Inzerillos were overwhelmed in the Mafia war that exploded between 1981 and 1983 in the streets of Palermo.[1][2][4] Salvatore died machine-gunned by a Kalashnikov on 10 May 1981 in Palermo.[1][4] After that, the Corleonesi under Salvatore Riina killed his brothers Santo (who died in Palermo) and Pietro (found dead in New Jersey in the trunk of a car with $5 in his mouth and two dollars on his genitals), an uncle and the eldest son, Giuseppe.[1][2][5]
Related to the Spatola, Mannino, Castellano, Gambino, and Di Maggio families, they first landed in the US in 1956, settling in Cherry Hill.[1][2] Their protector in the US was the boss Carlo Gambino, Inzerillo's cousin.[1][2]
The whole family fled to the United States except Filippa Spatola, Inzerillo's wife, and son Giovanni.[1] Subsequently, the Sicilian Mafia Commission, under pressure from the American Cosa Nostra, decided to grant a pardon to the rest of the Inzerillo family on the condition that none of them nor their descendants would ever return to Sicily.[6] Gone for nearly 20 years, in early 2000 the Inzerillos were back in Palermo, and in the summer of 2007, murders in Palermo seemed to herald a new Mafia war.[1][2] The first of the family to reappear was Franco, who had been thrown out of the US.[1][2][6]
Giovanni Inzerillo, Salvatore's son, was later indicted and arrested on 7 February 2008, in Operation Old Bridge against the Gambinos in New York and their connections in Palermo, involved in drug trafficking.[7][8] Currently, the head of the family is Giovanni Inzerillo. Other active members in Sicily affiliated with the family, according to a police investigation, were Giovanni Bosco, a relative of Salvatore Inzerillo; Alfonso Gambino, a trusted man and spokesperson for Bosco in negotiations with other mandamenti; Ignazio Mannino, of the Torretta Mafia family; and Matteo Inzerillo, nephew of the boss Michelangelo La Barbera, in charge of maintaining relations with other members of the mandamento.[9][10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Attilio Bolzoni. "I Gambino e gli Inzerillo Famiglie tra stragi e potere". La Repubblica. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g S. S. "La fuga degli Inzerillo negli States". La Nuova Sardegna. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ Salvatore Lupo (2004). Storia della mafia: dalle origini ai giorni nostri. Donzelli Editore, 2004. ISBN 8879899031.
- ^ a b Henner Hess (1998). Mafia & Mafiosi: Origin, Power and Myth. NYU Press, 1998. ISBN 1863331433.
- ^ Giovanni Bianconi. "Il New Jersey e quel cadavere nell' auto". Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ a b Bruno De Stefano; Vincenzo Ceruso; Pietro Comito (21 January 2013). I nuovi boss. Newton Compton Editori, 2013. ISBN 978-8854149052.
- ^ Dozens Arrested in Italy and US in Major Mafia-busting Operation, La Repubblica, February 7, 2008
- ^ Cosa Nostra-Lcn Connections: The Documents from Palermo Antimafia, La Repubblica, February 7, 2008
- ^ "Mafia. Il cugino di Totuccio Inzerillo ai vertici di Cosa Nostra". Antimafia Duemila (in Italian). December 2011. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- ^ "Gli "scappati" tornano a comandare Pompe di benzina l'ultimo business". PalermoToday (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-01-07.