LA STIDDA

La Stidda is, out of five, the most recent organization known in Italy. La Stidda, or The Star, has itıs home on Sicily. The first man to speak about it and gave itıs birth to the media was Francisco Marino Mannoia in 1989 and later in 1992 Leonardo Messina, both members of La Cosa Nostra. Both claimed that La Stidda was formed out of former LCN members. These members where outcasted or they had left LCN, bacause they did not want to follow orders by the dictator Toto Riina, the last capo di tutti capi . (not any more, since he is in jail and the Coleonesi has reduced in power, the Cupola is gone at this point and there is no one big leader anymore. ed)

La Stidda is not a thight organization like LCN. There are many clans who operate alone, and others who work together. What they have in common are the rules, rituels and a tattoo on their hands. There are other gangs on Sicily, who operate with drugs, but none of them are greater than La Stidda. Messina was a soldier for LCN boss Giuseppe ŒPidduı Madonia from Gela. Gela is also the heart of La Stidda. Piddu had always problems with them and sometimes it would get nasty. Three Stidda clans always made it hard for thim. Iocolano, Carbonara-Dominate and Riggio. These are very bloodthirsty clans, who murderd more than a hunderd people and gained more power and wealth.

One of the first encounters between LCN and La Stidda was the LCN clan Sambita with the seven Ribisi brothers and the Stidda clan formed out of Domenico Pace, Paolo Amico and Gaetano Puzzangaro in Palma, who won their first round.

There is much confusion going on. There are Stidda clans who operate with their LCN counterparts and there are Stidda clans who have troubles with LCN clans. Some Stidda members donıt even know wich clan they belong to themselfs. In this way itıs has become very hard for the goverment to fight La Stidda. Sometimes the arrest members and at that point they donıt care if they are LCN or Stidda members. They will figure out on a later date. As long they donıt fight on the streets.

These little wars are still going on today, but I donıt think they ever be greater than LCN. In fact, nobody can top these guys in whole Italy, but they cause problems never the less. Recently I posted a story on La Stidda, who where hiding in Sardenia. (use the search to find it, ed).

Members are known as Stiddari or Stiddaroli. Their power base lies in the Agrigento province, but also in Milano, Genova and Torino in the North. They have no clans outside Italy, maybe connections, but very few. They have a ritual initiation, but without a burning of a Saint. Wich strikes me most, and never understand, is the fact that members have a tattoo on their right hands. It is a sort of spider webb, a dott in the middle, with five lines connected in a cirlcle. These lines are the five points of gangsterism. Why donıt get a tattoo saying youıre a mobster? Seems to me they want ot be a very thight organization, but so far Œno diceı. In 1991 a Stidda member from the Cavallo-lanni clan, introduced himself to some else in Milano and said something like ³you must recognize to me-like member of this organization, within and outside this country². Well, they are hard to miss.

Next month the promised story on the Camorra.