 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2009) |
| Founded | 1975 |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Franco Giuseppucci, Enrico De Pedis, Maurizio Abbatino |
| Founding location | Rome, Lazio |
| Years active | 1975–1993[1] (The year of the «Operation Colosseum» conducted by the Polizia di Stato, the gang was progressively eradicated and crushed over the following years)[2] |
| Territory | Most active in the Rome metropolitan area, but also active throughout the Italian territory |
| Ethnicity | Italians, mostly Romans and especially working-class Romans from the Magliana neighborhood in Rome |
| Membership (est.) | Around 50 full members, unknown number of associates |
| Criminal activities | Racketeering, drug trafficking, murder, car theft, fencing, corruption, kidnapping, gambling, prostitution, robbery, fraud, weapons trafficking, loan sharking, contract killing, bookmaking, bootlegging, extortion, money laundering, political terrorism |
| Allies | NAR Sicilian Mafia Camorra |
| Rivals | Proietti clan |
The Banda della Magliana (Italian pronunciation: [ˈbanda della maʎˈʎaːna], the "Magliana Gang") was an Italian criminal organization based in Rome. It was founded in 1975. Given by the media, the name refers to the original neighborhood, the Magliana, of some of its members.
The Banda della Magliana was heavily involved in criminal activities during Italy's Years of Lead (anni di piombo). The Italian government claimed that the Banda della Magliana was closely allied with and tied to other criminal organizations, such as Cosa Nostra, Camorra, and 'Ndrangheta. Some journalists have also claimed the gang had links to neofascist militant and terrorist groups, such as the Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari (NAR), responsible for the 1980 Bologna massacre; the Italian secret services (SISMI), and political figures such as Licio Gelli, grand-master of the Freemasonic lodge Propaganda Due (P2). It has been alleged that, along with Gladio, the NATO clandestine anti-communist organization, P2 was involved in a strategy of tension during the Years of Lead which included false flag terrorist attacks.[3]
The Banda della Magliana was involved with the usual activities of Italian criminal gangs, such as drug dealing, horserace betting, and money laundering, among others; its ties to political groups set it apart. It is believed to have been involved with events such as the 1978 murder of former prime minister Aldo Moro, leader of the Christian Democracy party, who was negotiating the Historic Compromise with the Italian Communist Party (PCI); the 1979 assassination of journalist Carmine Pecorelli; the 1980 Bologna massacre; the 1982 assassination attempt against Roberto Rosone, vice-president of Banco Ambrosiano; and also Roberto Calvi's 1982 murder. The mysterious disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, a case peripherally linked to former Grey Wolves member Mehmet Ali Ağca's 1981 Pope John Paul II assassination attempt, has also been related to the gang. The Orlandi kidnapping was allegedly to persuade the legally immune Vatican Bank to restore funds to Banco Ambrosiano creditors.[4]
- ^ "Così è stata stroncata la Banda della Magliana" [This is how the Banda della Magliana was crushed]. it.insideover.com (in Italian). Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ Simona Balocco and Paola Maggiora. "La banda della Magliana: la fine" [The banda della Magliana: The End]. tuttostoria.net (in Italian). Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Informant reveals dark world of the Banda della Magliana". www.italianinsider.it. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "ROME: GANGSTER ENTOMBED IN A PAPAL CRYPT. The Vatican, the Central Intelligence Agency, Emanuela Orlandi and the Entombment of Enrico De Pedis", at page 126 [at Lulu.com]