Melito di Porto Salvo: 78-year-old businessman victim of mafia extortion arrested.

A man of , resident in Montebello Jonico, was arrested this night by the Carabinieri of the Investigative Unit of Reggio Calabria and Melito Porto Salvo Company, in execution of a precautionary custody order in prison issued by the GIP at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Reggio Calabria.

According to the investigations – started after the courageous denunciation of the victim – the man would have put into action, since 2015, a series of extortion aggravated by mafia methods against a construction contractor who owns a company also involved in public works in the Melito Porto Salvo area.

The entrepreneur would have paid over the years approximately EUR 30.000 as extortion sums, in addition to being subjected to the request for a 6% of the value of each contract obtained in the area.

Further reports were also made extortion attempts for 114.000 euros, accompanied by threats of damage, arson attacks and retaliation, with the suspect having repeatedly flaunted links with criminal circles 'Ndrangheta, boasting about his criminal “career”.

The pressure and threats would have been exerted through a real mafia method, with:

• ambushes in construction sites,

• requests addressed directly to workers,

• continuous intimidation.

The investigating judge accepted the investigation's hypothesis and ordered the precautionary prison measure.

The 78-year-old was then transferred to the Arghillà Prison, available to the Judicial Authority.

Investigators emphasize that the result was possible thanks to the constant dialogue with the victim and her decision to report, a fundamental act to combat the phenomenon of extortion.