Gerlandino Messina (Italian pronunciation: [dʒerlanˈdiːno mesˈsiːna]; born on July 22, 1972) is a member of the Mafia in Sicily from Porto Empedocle. He was on the most wanted list of the Italian ministry of the Interior from 1999 to 2010 when he was captured in Favara.[1]
He is the son of Giuseppe Messina, the Mafia boss of Porto Empedocle, who on July 8, 1986, was killed by the Grassonelli clan,[2] which adhered to the Stidda – a criminal organisation rivaling Cosa Nostra. In revenge, six members of the Grassonelli clan were killed on September 21, 1986, in the so-called Porto Empedocle massacre.
He is considered to be one of the bosses of Cosa Nostra in the province of Agrigento, jointly with Giuseppe Falsone.[3][4]
On October 23, 2010, he was captured by a special unit of the Carabinieri while he was in his house in Favara, near Agrigento.[5] He was wanted for Mafia association and several murders,[1] such as the killing of police officer Giuliano Guazzelli in April 1992.[6]
In 2012, he was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months of imprisonment for illegal possession of firearms.
References
- 1 2 (in Italian) Most wanted list of the Italian ministry of the Interior Archived 2009-02-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ (in Italian) Altro arresto nell’ ambito dell’operazione antimafia Marna, Teleacras, October 30, 2007
- ↑ (in Italian) I latitanti Falsone e Messina al vertice di cosa nostra agrigentina, Televideo Agrigento, November 10, 2007
- ↑ (in Italian) Relazione del Ministro dell’Interno al Parlamento sull’attività svolta e sui risultati conseguiti dalla Direzione Investigativa Antimafia Archived 2009-11-16 at the Wayback Machine 1° semestre 2007
- ↑ (in Italian) Mafia, catturato il boss di Agrigento; In manette Gerlandino Messina, Corriere della Sera, October 23, 2010
- ↑ (in Italian) Mafia, preso Gerlandino Messina, La Repubblica, October 23, 2010
External links
- (in Italian) Di Gati accusa Messina, Teleacras Agrigento, November 2, 2007