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New Articles & Updates

Finally finished Parts 9 & 10, which cover events up to Operation Afghan and the NCA Bombing. There’s a profile of sorts on the career of Bruno the Fox Romeo; this is a prototype of some future ideas for profile articles, which will focus on some of the higher-profile Australian ‘ndrangetisti, such as Winery Tony, Aussie Bob, Kneecap Roy and Little Trees Frank.

With the help of Terry Jones, the author of the fantastic Griffith Diaries, I will soon be able to finish the long-time coming promise of some family trees and charts.

The Latorre hit is obviously the biggest mob news of recent; my article on Shepparton and Vince Lattore saw a ton of traffic. We’ll keep an eye on that; Latorre was supposedly friendly with both Elvis and the Blonde Guy. Maybe there’s something a bit more personal going on? Or maybe it’s exactly what it looks like. Hopefully time will give us some answers.

Thanks for visiting my blog, enjoy the new articles, and as ever, there will be more to come 🙂

PART 9 – A PLATI GROUP CONCIOUSNESS

INFILTRATING AN ‘NDRINA: The Australian Donnie Brascos

It was middle-to-late evening in July of 1993 when a few men ambled into the Griffith RSL. One of these men, tall and mature, glimpsed another group out of the corner of his eye. An elderly man, surrounded by several younger men. All reasonably well-dressed, all engaged and one seeming to stand out. The cut of his clothes, his posture. As the man spying them passed more coins into the poker machine, he watched the group sitting down at some side-tables. While they were neither loud nor boisterous, they exuded an observable presence in the din of the busy ex-servicemen’s club. The better-dressed character of the group sat down in a chair closest to the old man, deep in conversation. Another sat close, taking in the conversation but occasionally glancing at various women. The rest of the group seemed involved in their own conversations, throwing glances around the club, at other patrons, at the women, at each other. The spy moved to the row of poker-machines closest to the group.

Surreptitiously, he watched an older female barfly. She approached the table to chat with the group. One of them handed her a note, she ran off to buy them a round of beers. She repeated this a few times through-out the night, going back and forth between the bar and their table, keeping the change. At one point, the spy watched her seating flirtatiously in the older man’s lap. The elderly gentleman stopped their conversation to chat smilingly with the woman, handing her a handful of coins as she perched in his lap. At his gesture, she got up and hurried over to a row of poker machines. Seeing that the machine next to hers was not in use, he quickly moved to it, and started feeding in coins.

He started to chat to the woman nonchalantly. They both laughed at their luck with the pokies. The spy signalled to another woman who approached, he identified her as his girlfriend. He introduced himself as Cole, an art-dealer from Melbourne, visiting Griffith with his girlfriend, Alison, to conduct some business in the area. They presented as warm and friendly, and eventually they were chatting freely with the woman. He and his girlfriend invited her out to a meal and some further drinks sometime. She smiled back and agreed. The couple left, the group they had arrived with filtering out after them shortly after.

A few more days passed when Cole and Alison returned to the club. They quickly found the same woman. Striking up conversation again, this time she was even more friendly, perhaps a few drinks in. They chatted about work, life, and Griffith. Suddenly the barfly beamed. Pulling on Col’s arm, she asked him, “…do you want to meet the Godfather?”.

She took them over towards the same table of men that Cole had quietly observed some nights ago. They were at the same table, in the same formation. Cole nodded his affirmation, casually, being careful to not seem overly interested. He was, in fact, very much interested. Because Cole was an undercover police officer, who had been tasked with infiltrating the “Griffith Mafia”. And here was an ‘ndrina, on the periphery of several, but solid in the sights of this double agency investigation.

THE GRIFFITH MAFIA

The elderly man was Giovanni Sergi, aka Old Johnny Sergi aka Old John. He was the father of Antonio Sergi, aka Young Tony, who had been named in the Woodward Royal Commission as an active player in marijuana trade active from Griffith in the 1970s and 80s. He had been placed on the production side of the endeavour, tasked with ensuring the crops were being grown in constant rotation. Through his father, Young Tony was related to Winery Tony Sergi. They were cousins; their fathers were brothers.

The younger man speaking to Old Johnny now, however, was one of his sons-in-law; Antonio Romeo. Born January 17th, 1956, also in Plati, he had arrived in Australia with his family in September of 1974. He had married Young Tony’s sister, Maria Sergi in 1977. Going by the nickname Tony, Romeo was had been identified by investigators as heading this small ‘ndrina. Also observed with him that night was a man whose surname had become ubiquitous regarding Australian ‘ndrangheta. Even with the family’s role having been inflated in the past, and even keeping with his uncle’s slight change to the family name; the man was Rosario Trimbole, born in Australia in 1960.         

The group of gangsters sitting in the Working Mans RSL were represented mainly by these three men; Old Johnny Sergi, Tony Romeo and Ross Trimbole, the literal nephew of Aussie Bob, tasked with carrying the ubiquitous surname which does a lot of heavy lifting in the public mindset.

Antonio’s marriage and his brother-in-law being Young Tony Sergi linked him in to that patch of the great Barbaro-Sergi ‘ndrine of Griffith. It now also included Tony Romeo as one of its bosses. A capo in the LCN tradition would be an easier way of describing it, but there are more complex factors in play on account of the intricate command chains and hierarchies of ‘ndrangheta clans, already decades in place, and now operating in the early to mid-1990s in Australia.

During the 1970s Old Johhny Sergi had been named by Justice Woodward as one of the key investors in the Griffith drug trade at the time of Donald Mackay’s murder. He was one of several men infamously observed out of town or loudly attending pub dinners during several crucial hours on the night of the murder. They all had rock-solid alibies that excluded them from direct charges that night. In his Royal Commission findings, Justice Woodward would name Giovanni Sergi as having been one of the men most likely responsible for the “disappearance” of Mr. Donald Mackay, who bravely stood up to a criminal conspiracy occurring in his hometown.

Rosario bore the name of Australia’s most notorious Calabrian gangster. Aussie Bob Trimbole had, in later years, directed just as much effort towards avoiding the ‘ndrangheta clans of Griffith as he did to evade capture by the AFP and Interpol. He had died in Alicante, Spain, in 1987. In any case though, Rosario was every bit the piccioto; the loyal soldier intricately tied to Tony Romeo’s operations. Rosario and his brother, Domenic were key players in the drug gang that Romeo was heading.

UNDERCOVER IN WHAT?

The family clans of ‘ndrangheta operate in groups called an ‘ndrina, grouped under a locale’. The best known of these in Australia operate under the Griffith locale’. In Australian parlance, these ‘ndrine are often referred to as “cells”. Much has been made of the fact that several Australian police have, over the years, infiltrated some of these small groups and cells. Countless news articles and several books proclaim how Colin McLaren cleverly deceived not one, but two of these ‘ndrine. Charming them into allowing police officers close enough to gather charges and intelligence, launching investigations into “…the highest echelon of the mafia in Australia…” or “…. the bosses of [Griffith/Adelaide].”

Without diminishing the achievements of officers from multiple agencies, the reality is mirrored in the findings of all the cases and investigations that comprised Operation Cerberus, an investigation into the scope and reach of Italian Organised Crime groups in Australia. A quote from the final report follows.

“These syndicates appear to be entrepreneurial, often temporary in nature, and members are generally drawn from a series of interconnected, socio-economic and socio-cultural networks which extend across all states and territories”.

And so Detective Damian Marret and Detective Sergeant Colin McLaren infiltrated the Sergi-Romeo-Trimboli ‘ndrina that “spoke for” Romeo’s endeavours. Romeo was freshly promoted to his position, eager to make money, impress his father-in-law and facilitate the sale of narcotics.

So, what had led to this seminal event in the history of the Australian ‘ndrangheta and investigations targeting it? The quiet announcement of Operation Cerberus certainly played a part. All around the country, state police were working closely with the National Crime Authority to ask the question; what is the mafia, and how deeply entrenched has it become in the country?

MCLAREN AND THE TEAM: THE LEAD UP

As a part of the Victoria Police Drug Squad, Detective Sergeant Colin McLaren was, by the 1990s, a veteran undercover operative with scores of busts, seizures, and arrests to his name. He had been chosen by senior police to play a prominent role in an investigation that had grown out of Operation Cerberus. As he was undertaking his task, there were countless other inquiries and investigations going on around Australia at the time.

McLaren’s particular briefing involved members of the Griffith mafia, an ‘ndrangheta locale’ also known as the Plati Group, which was by far the most well-known incarnation of the mafia in Australia. When Australian’s think of the word mafia, after The Godfather, Goodfellas and Casino, Griffith was right there.

Prior to their introductions, McLaren and his team had embarked on a fact-finding mission, scouring old police and intelligence files across multiple agencies and had put together what he describes as a “hitlist” of active players in the ‘ndrina they were focused on. Antonio Romeo, invariably described as handsome and erudite, had been identified as one of the new leaders in Griffith, a position he had attained by marrying the daughter of Old Johnny, aka Giovanni Sergi.

As mentioned above, Old Johnny had been one of the central figures listed in the Woodward Reports. He had had arrived in Australia aged twenty-two, with his brothers Francesco, Bruno, Rocco and two brothers named Giuseppe, distinguished by one’s middle name, Giuseppe Pasquale. The two brothers bearing the same name led to much confusion but are further distinguished by their birthdates; both born in the same month in successive years, February 10th, 1909 and February 13th, 1910. It was the first Giuseppe which was the father of the infamous “Winery Tony” Sergi, whose six sisters all married into prominent ‘ndrangheta families.  

Old Johnny and his wife, Giuseppina Barbaro, born January 29th, 1932, had migrated with him from Plati, and together they had four children; Antonio (born February 4th, 1950) Anna (July 31st, 1954) Pasquale (June 5th, 1958) and Maria (September 15th, 1959). When he had arrived in Australia, he had first stayed with his brother Francesco at his farm in Hanwood.

During the Royal Commission, information had been provided that outlined Giovanni’s sudden rise in wealth during the 1970s. He had gained assets including four farms in Griffith and a block of flats in Fairfield. Giovanni had been charged for failing to answer questions put to him by Justice Woodward during the hearings, for which he plead guilty and was given probation. Besides that, his only recorded offences included a handful of drunk-driving incidents. He would be disqualified from driving in 1996.

But make no mistake; Giovanni Sergi was close to mafia royalty in Australia. Through his marriage into the Barbaro clan, there emerged a prominent role for his son, dubbed Young Tony. Alongside his brother, Domenico, who would get the nickname Little Mick, they would lead the Griffith ‘ndrangheta clans into the following decades.

Domenico “Little Mick” Sergi would make a strategic marriage to Elisabetta Agresta in Melbourne in 1963. This linked an important clan, from another part of the country, into the Barbaro-Sergi ‘ndrine of Griffith. Elisabetta’s brother, Pasquale Agresta, was highly active in the marijuana cultivation that saw these families become millionaires. He would be linked to the infamous Coleambally crops among numerous others. He would also become caught up in the net cast by the undercover operation.

Bananas and Coke

Banacol is the fourth largest company exporting bananas in Colombia. The company is also a regular contributor to political campaigns of both the Democratic Centre and Colombia Liberal party. This includes figures such as former President of Colombia Álvaro Uribe, Mario Castańo (who was embroiled in a corruption scandal last year) and that of current Mayor of Medellin, Federico Gutiiérrez.

Why am I talking about bananas on a mafia blog? Because on at least two proven occasions, investigators have discovered large shipments of cocaine hidden amongst crates of bananas shipped by Banacol to Italy, arriving at Gioia Tauro, the massive port in Calabria notoriously known as a transit centre for drugs imported by ‘ndrangheta clans.

While there is no direct evidence that the fruit exporting company itself is responsible for the shipments (theoretically the cocaine could have been hidden in their product by a third party), Italian authorities have brought the issue to the Colombian Prosecutor’s Office. That they point to the lack of action taken by the Colombians is concerning, especially when coupled with the fact that Banacol is also under fire for essentially stealing land owned by people displaced by armed conflict to build private roads for their factories. Banacol is owned by a Greenland Investments SAS, a Spanish and Belize conglomerate, which only further complicates the matter.

In any case, more as it comes.

https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2023/11/09/esta-es-la-compania-bananera-que-esta-bajo-la-lupa-por-narcotrafico-y-que-contribuyo-a-la-campana-de-federico-gutierrez/

Michael Barbaro Sentenced in Melbourne

Melbourne resident Michael Barbaro has been jailed over his role in a 2018 drug bust that also implicated his son Pasquale (aka Patrick) and associates Pepe Scardamaglia and Jimmey Barkho, Mark Buttler reports for the Herald Sun.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/mafia-murder-target-michael-barbaro-jailed-for-running-major-melbourne-drug-syndicate/news-story/4636d69877fe7f5a89ec18688379a7fc

During his sentencing, Justice Michael O’Connel referenced Barbaro’s issues with figures involved in Operation Inca, better known as the infamous “Tomato Tins” ecstasy bust of 2008. When the original 2007 importation went awry, Pasquale Barbaro and Francesco Madafferi supposedly blamed Michael Barbaro and Fedele D’Amico for the loss, also suspecting them of being responsible for the theft of a 400kg shipment of cocaine that they never received. (See: Busted! by Keith Moor for more information on that).

Michael Barbaro, described in the past as an associate of Mick Gatto, was allegedly marked for death, with plans laid to murder him at Damien Gatto’s wedding, according to documents tendered to courts during the trials that arose after Operation Inca. Graham Potter was allegedly tapped as the trigger-man. Until he was caught in FNQ last year, Potter was Australia’s most wanted man, having served as a distributor for the Barbaro-Madafferi ‘ndrine, but most notoriously known for the grisly 1981 murder of teenager Kim Barry.

Michael Barbaro arrived in Melbourne in 1980, and over the last 40 years established himself in underworld circles as a mid-to-high level trafficker. During one of the drug-deals described in sentencing documents, an associate described him as “the boss of the mafia in (his) area”.

After Pasquale Barbaro received his 30 year sentence in 2012, the charges of conspiracy to murder Michael Barbaro were dropped.

For those who might be confused; there is no known close relations between Pasquale and Michael; Pasquale is the son of Little Trees Frank Barbaro, who’s brother Domenico fathered the longtime boss of the Calabrian Barbaro clan, Francesco “U Castanu’” Barbaro. Michael Barbaro comes from a completely seperate branch of the far-flung Barbaro family, and only came to Australia in the 1980s.

Further information:

https://www.countycourt.vic.gov.au/files/documents/2023-09/dpp-v-barbaro.pdf

The Black Hand

Fantastic work by the ABC and in particular Kriv Stenders, Adam Grossetti, Anya Beyersdorf, Kate Pappas, Michael Tear and of course Anthony LaPaglia for the first episode of the three part series on the Queensland Black Hand extortion ring that operated in the 1920s and 30s. Amazing attention to detail, very well presented and expertly researched. Greatly anticipating the next episode!

Operation Eureka & Other News

Apologies for being somewhat late with the updates, but it’s been a pretty hectic fortnight as far as mafia news. Operation Eureka dismantled a trafficking network that funnelled millions in coke into Australia, with the Strangio/Nirta Clan pegged as the main culprits.

Domenic Perre is dead. There goes his appeal.

And Warburn Estate is filing for insolvency. The company owned and operated by the Sergi family for decades made millions off their brand.

Anyway, I’ll do my best to stay by my post. Things are busy, and I’m very time poor. New article should be up soon. Hopefully.

Warburn Estate files for insolvency

The company stated by Griffith ‘ndranghetisti “Winery Tony” Sergi has begun winding up after nearly 40 years of operation. Started as Vignali Wines in 1975 and bankrolled by the illicit funds “Aussie Bob” Trimbole brokered, the estate was famously opened by Al Grassby. The flagship budget wines “Gossips” and “Rumours” became one of Australian Wine-Mum’s staples and made millions for Warburn Estate. Still operated by the Sergi family after four generations, the filing marks the end of an era.

https://www.insolvencynotices.com.au/notice/warburn-estate-pty-ltd