Mafia 'fed rival to pigs while he was still alive' - Telegraph
Italian mobsters beat rival gangster with metal bars before feeding him to pigs, police investigation claims
The man was a victim of a bloody turf war between two clans belonging to the 'Ndrangheta mafia of Calabria, in the far south of Italy
Mafia mobsters allegedly beat a rival gangster with metal bars and then fed him to pigs while he was still alive, it has emerged from an investigation by the Italian police.
Francesco Raccosta was allegedly fed to the pigs, which are prized for their ability to dispose of most of a human body, as part of a bloody turf war between two clans belonging to the 'Ndrangheta mafia of Calabria, in the far south of Italy.
The horrific killing is reminiscent of a scene in the film Snatch, directed by Guy Ritchie, in which a British gangster called Brick Top recommends disposing of a dead body by feeding it to pigs.
The murder of Raccosta was allegedly led by Simone Pepe, 24, a rival gangster, who was arrested this week.
He described the killing in chilling terms to a friend in a telephone conversation that was intercepted by police
“It was satisfying to hear him scream...Mamma mia, how he squealed, but I couldn’t give a s---. Someone said a few bits of him remained at the end of it all, but I couldn’t see anything, for me nothing remained at all. I said, wow, how a pig can eat!”
Pepe is suspected of having carried out at least three other murders, including that of Vincenzo Raccosta, the father of Francesco Raccosta.
The murders were allegedly committed as revenge for the death of mafia boss Domenico Bonarrigo, 45, on March 3 2012.
The murder involving the pigs allegedly took place 10 days later, as a bitter feud between a clan led by the Raccosta and Ferraro families and a rival group led by the Mazzagatti family span out of control.
Evidence of the murder came to light during an investigation by police into the 'Ndrangheta’s business enterprises in Calabria and Rome, which resulted in the seizure this week of property and other assets worth 70 million euros.
The mafia organisation, which makes millions of pounds a year from cocaine trafficking, extortion and other crimes, has for years invested its profits in legitimate businesses.
The police codenamed their operation “Erinni” — the Italian for Erinyes, who were goddesses of vengeance in Greek mythology, corresponding to the Furies of Roman mythology.
