Giuseppe Bellocco
Encyclopedia
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta. He is the capobastone of the Bellocco 'ndrina
Bellocco 'ndrina
The Bellocco 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Rosarno, on the Tyrrhenian coast.-Powerful 'Ndrangheta clan:...
from Rosarno
Rosarno
Rosarno is a comune in the province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region of Calabria. It is about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. Rosarno stands on a natural terrace cloaked in olive plantations and vineyards on the left bank of the river Mesima, overlooking...
in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
. He was a fugitive since 1997 and included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his capture in July 2007.
The Bellocco clan is one of the most powerful groups in the 'Ndrangheta. Activities ranged from drug trafficking, extortion and the control of nearly all commercial businesses in the Gioia Tauro
Gioia Tauro
Gioia Tauro is a comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria , on the Tyrrhenian coast. It has an important port, situated along the route connecting Suez to Gibraltar, one of the busiest maritime corridors in the world....
plain. Jointly with the Pesce clan
Pesce 'ndrina
The Pesce 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Rosarno on the Tyrrhenian coast.-Powerful 'Ndrangheta clan:...
and in collaboration with the Piromalli-Molè 'ndrina
Piromalli 'ndrina
The Piromalli 'ndrina is one of the most powerful clans of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Gioia Tauro on the Tyrrhenian coast. The Piromalli's are allied with their relatives of the Molè family, also from Gioia Tauro. Often they...
they controlled the public contracts for the construction of the container terminal
Container terminal
A container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example trains or trucks, in which case the terminal is described as a maritime...
in the port of Gioia Tauro.
Bellocco’s criminal career goes back to 1974 when he was arrested for extortion and theft. He headed the clan after the arrest of his cousin Gregorio Bellocco
Gregorio Bellocco
Gregorio Bellocco is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta. He is the boss of the Bellocco 'ndrina from Rosarno in Calabria. He was a fugitive since 1996 and included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his capture in February 2005.The Bellocco clan is one of the most...
in February 2005.
He was arrested in the company of his wife on July 16, 2007, in an underground bunker concealed below a manger in farmhouse near Rosarno. He was presiding over a meeting of the 'Ndrangheta. Special police units, supported by three helicopters, surrounded the farmhouse knowing that Bellocco was inside. When they broke into the building they found eight others and no sign of their main target. A two-hour search eventually led to the discovery of Bellocco's hideout.