'Ndrangheta Profiles -- Giovanni Tegano (the fugitive boss)

Giovanni Tegano - story of the fugitive boss

Hey there. For the small minority of you who are less familiar with the ‘Ndrangheta, let me get you up to speed on that criminal organization, so that you can better enjoy the story of Giovanni Tegano.
'Ndrangheta is the name given to the criminal organization that originated in Calabria around the 1800s but which has now spread throughout the world. Starting in fact in Italy, then moving through Canada, through South America, West Africa and reaching as far as Australia, it is now regarded as one of the most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations in the world.
Thanks to its connections and contacts developed over the years, it has managed to have business ties to drug traffickers on the other side of the globe, which has allowed it to increase its earnings and turnover exponentially. Of the various criminal organizations in Italy, the 'ndrangheta is perhaps the one most closely linked to traditional-style ceremonies, with the internal structure erected essentially on the family.
Numerous characters, bosses and gangsters have followed one another over the years and increased the ranks of this fearsome organization. One of these was Giovanni Tegano, boss of the De Stefano 'ndrina and head of the local Archi, a northern suburb of Reggio Calabria. So let’s take a closer look at the life of this mobster, his actions, and what made him so dangerous within the 'Ndrangheta.
Origins and rise to power
Understanding this character and all the dynamics that led him first to the rise to the top of the 'ndrangheta is not simple. Giovanni Tegano was born in 1939 in Reggio Calabria.
At the age of 30, he already has a stature within the ‘Ndrangheta given that he is one of the attendees of the Montalto summit, a famous summit that took place in 1969 between members of the 'ndrangheta.
Mafia War
Giovanni Tegano becomes a major player in the second ‘ Ndrangheta war, a period in which he manages to strongly consolidate his status. In fact, from 1985 to 1991, the Second ‘Ndrangheta War broke out, a conflict that occurred between the various 'ndrine in the area that could not agree on how to manage wealth and power accumulated.
This bloody clash, which followed the previous mafia conflict that occurred in the 1970s, put the city of Reggio Calabria in a state of chaos and resulted in more than 600 deaths. Tegano, along with his brothers, actively participated in this clash and contributed as a exponent of the De Stefano gang. In those years, in fact, many assassinations are ordered that bear Tegano's signature, and for such violence he is sentenced to life imprisonment. As a result of that season of violence, Giovanni Tegano becomes the new head of the De Stefano 'ndrina in the 1990s and confirmed himself as one of the leading crime bosses in Calabria.
Over the years he becomes involved in various maxi anti-mafia investigations, but always manages to escape and live in hiding, which allows him to carry on business. This lands him on the list of the 30 most dangerous fugitives in Italy.
Life in hiding and arrest
Tegano lived for many, many years as a fugitive, sometimes for longer and other times for shorter periods. In 1993 he managed to go into hiding and disappear for a full 17 years, until 2010, when he was arrested and then subjected to hard imprisonment. His arrest was considered a great success for the state and justice enforcement, and undoubtedly represented a hard blow dealt to the Calabrian underworld. Tegano had indeed played leading roles during the clashes and the war, proving to be an undisputed, bloody, and fearsome figure in the Calabrian mafia.
His capture, however, after so much violence, was not welcomed by everyone in the same way. After his arrest, which took place in the city of Reggio Calabria, part of the population cheered him, as he was being taken away by the police. They viewed him as a “man of peace” and his power as a stabilizing factor in the region.