Ambush on boss Pepe in Calabria, the hypothesis of war between gangs

Investigators hypothesize a clash between the Abbruzzese and the Forastefano, 'Ndrangheta families from Sibaritide. The investigation documents pass to the Catanzaro DDA. Meanwhile, the mayor of Cassano and the bishop invite citizens to participate in a "strong moment of denunciation of violence and public assumption of responsibility"

A murder that could reopen the clash between the Abbruzzese and the Forastefano, two 'Ndrangheta names that instill fear in the Sibaritide, in the upper Ionian area of Cosenza. This is the fear of investigators after the ambush carried out over the weekend in the Lattughelle district of Cassano allo Ionio, in which 64-year-old Damiano Pepe, referred to as a boss of the "gypsy gang", was injured and his partner Silvana Sibarelli, 60, was killed. The investigation documents will therefore be passed to the Catanzaro DDA, perhaps as early as today.

There seems to be no doubt about the mafia origin of the ambush, both in terms of the methods - around thirty shots from a long gun, perhaps even a Kalashnikov, fired by two hitmen - and the personality of the target. Pepe, known as "Tripolino", was released from prison in 2019 after serving 26 years in prison for murder and mafia association. His brother, Edoardo, who took over from the imprisoned Damiano, was killed on 3 October 2002 in an ambush carried out with shots from a rifle loaded with buckshot. Fioravante Abbruzzese, another prominent member of the gang, died together with him. This morning the man, hospitalized and guarded for security reasons in the Cosenza hospital, was heard by the Carabinieri investigators dealing with the case. Whether he responded or what he may have said is covered by strict confidentiality.

The Carabinieri investigators of the Investigative Unit of the Provincial Command of Cosenza and of the Cassano Company, meanwhile, have begun to view the images of the video surveillance systems present throughout the area in search of a clue, even minimal, that could direct the investigations towards a well-defined lead to trace the identity of the murderers. While waiting for the investigations to take their course, the mayor of Cassano Gianpaolo Iaconini and the bishop Francesco Savino are launching an appeal to participate, tomorrow at 4pm, at the Teatro Comunale, in a "strong moment of denunciation of violence and public assumption of responsibility".