Giuseppe Nirta (19 October 1940 – 23 February 2023) was an Italian mobster from San Luca, Calabria who was the boss of the 'Ndrangheta, and the head of the Nirta clan.
Giuseppe Nirta | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 October 1940 |
| Died | 23 February 2023 (aged 82) |
| Occupation | Mafia boss |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Allegiance | Strangio 'ndrina |
| Criminal charge | Multiple murders |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment |
The Nirta clan is allied with the Strangio clan in a vendetta against the Pelle-Vottari-Romeo families known as the so-called San Luca feud. The bloody feud between the clans began in February 1991 during a carnival celebration in San Luca when anger over an egg-throwing incident boiled over and culminated in the killing of two members of the Strangio-Nirta clan and the wounding of two others.[1]
The feud re-exploded after a seven-year lull at Christmas 2006 when gunmen ambushed the Nirta's son Giovanni Luca Nirta. He escaped unharmed but his wife Maria Strangio – a cousin of Giovanni Strangio – was killed.[1] Giuseppe Nirta is accused of murdering Bruno Pizzata, a member of the Pelle-Vottari clan, on 4 January 2007.[2]
The vendetta attracted international attention on 15 August 2007, when six men belonging to the Pelle-Romeo clan were shot dead in their cars in front of a pizzeria near Duisburg train station in western Germany.
Nirta was one of Italy's 100 most wanted criminals and arrested on 23 May 2008. He was hiding in a bunker in San Luca.[1] On 12 July 2011, the Criminal Court in Locri sentenced Nirta to life imprisonment for the Duisburg killings.[3][4]
Nirta died of heart disease on 23 February 2023, at the age of 82.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b c San Luca clan chief caught, ANSA, 23 May 2008
- ^ 'Ndrangheta, arrestato Giuseppe Nirta, Corriere della Sera, 23 May 2008
- ^ Strage di Duisburg, verdetto di primo grado ergastolo a Giovanni Strangio e altri sette, La Repubblica, 12 July 2011
- ^ Italians convicted in Duisburg mob massacre, The Associated press, 12 July 2011
- ^ "'Ndrangheta: è morto in carcere a Parma Giuseppe Nirta, uno dei più spietati boss della faida di San Luca". Gazzetta Di Parma. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
External links edit
- The Italian police arrests Giuseppe Nirta, one of Italy's most-wanted mafia fugitives, Euro News, 24 May 2008 (video)