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.^[1]

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.^[1]

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.

The Scarcia clan, in particular, had been the dominant clan on the Ionian coast for years but had experienced several defections in favor of the Basilischi. Punishment for the "traitors" resulted in a series of brutal beatings, but ultimately, the Scarcia clan had to yield and, after reaching agreements with Cosentino, ended up joining the Basilischi.

In the Vulture region (Northern Basilicata), the Basilischi formed a blood pact with two powerful mafia clans, the Martucci and Cassotta clans. In Potenza, however, the clan led by Renato Martorano, baptized by Saverio "Don Saru" Mammoliti, obstructed the activities of the Basilischi in every way.

Despite some heinous murders, including that of the Gianfredi spouses, the Basilischi managed to maintain their veil of invisibility that ensured their prosperity in business until 1998. This continued until Giovanna Danese, Cosentino's companion and sister of Michele (the leader of the criminal organization), began a romantic relationship with another man, betraying the boss while he was still in prison. To restore his honor, Cosentino ordered his brother to carry out an "act of loyalty" to the organization, which meant eliminating his sister. However, Michele refused, sealing his own death sentence.

Having survived an ambush in the "Contrada Dragonara" of Potenza, Danese decided to cooperate with the authorities, tearing away the veil of invisibility that shrouded the organization. After him, many others followed suit. This allowed the Prosecutor's Office in Potenza to launch the so-called "Operation Basilischi," which began on April 22, 1999, leading to the imprisonment of all the top leaders of the organization. On December 21, 2007, after 35 days of deliberation, the court sentenced 37 of the 80 defendants to approximately 150 years in prison (242 when considering the sentences of minor defendants), recognizing the mafia association for 26 of them. During the trial, there was also an attack on the lead prosecutor, Vincenzo Montemurro, by one of the defendants who had exited the defendant's enclosure. Additionally, there was a thwarted attempt to carry out an attack against the other lead prosecutor, Genovese.

After his brother-in-law's defection, Cosentino lost credibility and was effectively excluded from an agreement that other members of the organization made with the Sacra Corona Unita (SCU) and the 'Ndrangheta. Upon his release from prison, he handed over control of his group to the boss Antonio Cossidente. Suspected of having ties to intelligence services, in 2004, a faction of the Basilischi split off, forming an autonomous group led by the Riviezzi family from Pignola, a municipality of 7,000 people in the hinterland of Potenza.

While Cossidente and his associates specialized in money laundering from the drug trade, investing it in the world of soccer, the Riviezzi family focused mainly on nightclub security, extortion, and drug trafficking. The 2007 verdict disintegrated the family, which was now in disarray, leading even bosses like Cosentino and Cossidente to cooperate with the justice system.

On Tuesday, October 30, 2012, the judges of the Court of Appeals in Potenza confirmed the first-degree sentences for several individuals, including Giovanni Cosentino (21 years in prison), Santo Bevilacqua (3 years), Mario Castellaneta (3 years and 10 months), Antonio Cossidente (6 years), Michele Danese (4 years and 8 months), Giuseppe D'Elia (7 years), Antonio De Paola (7 years and 2 months), Vincenzo Di Cecca (4 years and six months), Gennaro Durante (7 years and 2 months), Angelo Greco (7 years and two months), Giuseppe Lopatriello (7 years and six months), Franco Mancino (8 years), Riccardo Martucci (6 years), Silvano Mingolla (7 years), Antonio Mitidieri (6 years), Francesco Pontiero (7 years and two months), Saverio Riviezzi (10 years and 10 months), Nazzareno Santarsiero (3 years and 4 months), Antonio Santoro (7 years), Egidio Santoro (6 years), Nicola Sarli (5 years), Cosimo Sasso (5 years and several months), Salvatore Scarcia (7 years and two months), and Carlo Troia (13 years and 11 months).

Structure

The structure of the Basilischi organization was described by Cossidente during one of his interrogations after deciding to cooperate with the justice system. Originally, the head of the organization was Cosentino, and under him, there were regional leaders for various areas of Basilicata (Martucci in Vulture, D'Elia in Materano, Lopatriello in Metapontino, Cossidente in Potentino, Riviezzi in Pignolese).

According to the DDA (Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia) of Potenza, today, there are five families stemming from the original Basilischi group, all on an equal footing and with different operational areas (Potenza, Pignola, Vulture Melfese, Venosa, Fascia Jonica Metapontina).

Economy and Criminal Activities

The Basilischi specialize in a range of criminal activities and illicit businesses, including arms and drug trafficking, usury, extortion, gambling, robberies, possession, trade of explosives, illegal disposal of toxic waste, as well as controlling electoral votes.

Relations with Politics

Like any mafia organization, relationships with politics were crucial for infiltrating the administrative fabric at the municipal level, often accomplished through vote-buying. With the help of corrupt officials and politicians, the Basilischi have been able to control public contracts, concessions, and administrative authorizations to further their illicit activities.

References