Inzerillo Mafia clan
| Founded by | Salvatore Inzerillo |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Palermo, Sicily |
| Years active | 1950s-present |
| Territory | Province of Palermo |
| Ethnicity | Sicilian, Sicilian-American |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking and money laundering |
| Allies | Five Families (US), Stefano Bontade and Greco Mafia clan |
| Rivals | Corleonesi |
The Inzerillo Mafia clan is a sicilian clan, part of Cosa Nostra and, formerly, among the most powerful mafia clans in Sicily, associated with Carlo Gambino and his family.
History
Founded in 1950s, the clan is most known for his leader Salvatore Inzerillo.
For at least half a century they were considered the "aristocracy of Palermo's mafia".[1] Related with the Spatula's, Mannino's, Castellano's, Gambino's and Di Maggio families, they first landed in the U.S. in 1956, settling in Cherry Hills.[1][2] Their protector in the U.S. was the boss Carlo Gambino, cousin of Salvatore Inzerillo.[1][2]
In Sicily the clan was historically allied with The capomafia Stefano Bontade and it was mainly devoted to the organization of a large-scale trafficking of morphine from the Far East.[1][2][3]
The Inzerillo were overwhelmed in the mafia war exploded between 1981 and 1983 in the streets of Palermo.[1][2][4] Their leader, Salvatore aka Totuccio, was killed mowed by Kalashnikov fire on May 10, 1981 in Palermo.[1][4] After him, the Corleonesi of 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 the genitals), an uncle and the eldest son Giuseppe.[1][2][5] The whole family refuged in the United States except Filippa Spatola, wife of Salvatore Inzerillo, and son Giovanni.[1] Subsequently, the Sicilian Mafia Commission, under pressure from American Cosa Nostra, decided to grant a pardon to the rest of the family Inzerillo, behind the guarantee that none of them, nor their descendants, would never return to Sicily.[6] Gone for nearly 20 years from Sicily, in early 2000 the Inzerillo were back in Palermo, and in the summer of 2007, some murders in Palermo seemed to announce a new mafia war.[1][2] The first of the family to reappear was Franco, who has been ejected from the US.[1][2][6]
Giovanni Inzerillo, son of Salvatore, was later indicted and arrested on February 7, 2008, in Operation Old Bridge against the Gambinos in New York and their connections in Palermo, involved in drug trafficking.[7][8]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Attilio Bolzoni. "I Gambino e gli Inzerillo Famiglie tra stragi e potere". La Repubblica. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 S. S. "La fuga degli Inzerillo negli States". La Nuova Sardegna. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ↑ Salvatore Lupo. Storia della mafia: dalle origini ai giorni nostri. Donzelli Editore, 2004. ISBN 8879899031.
- 1 2 Henner Hess. 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.
- 1 2 Bruno De Stefano; Vincenzo Ceruso; Pietro Comito. I nuovi boss. Newton Compton Editori, 2013. ISBN 8854149055.
- ↑ 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