Domenico Oppedisano (Rosarno, December 5, 1930) is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He is based in Rosarno.
In August 2009 he was appointed capo crimine, the ceremonial head of the 'Ndrangheta, at a marriage of two children of bosses. He assumed power at a banquet held at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in September that year. In a conversation wiretapped by the police he talked of 1,000 affiliates attending the meeting.[1][2]
In July 2010, Italian police arrested Oppedisano, 80-year old at time, in a major crackdown on the 'Ndrangheta, seizing assets worth millions of euros and arresting 304 people, after a nation-wide two-year investigation.[3]
According to the police, Oppedisano was "the reference point for the entire organisation". He brokered peace among factions in Calabria and divided public works contracts in northern Italy, in particular related to the Expo 2015 in Milan. Wiretaps revealed him to be a consensus seeker. "For the love of God, when you make a proposal, you listen to the others to see what they think," he typically told a 'Ndrangheta affiliate.[1]
Until the start of the investigation in 2008, Oppedisano had been relatively unknown to police. The nominal head of the 'Ndrangheta drove around the town of Rosarno in a humble three-wheeled van,[4] delivering produce from his orchard at the local market.[5] According to police investigations the power behind Oppedisano was Vincenzo Pesce, the head of the Pesce 'ndrina in Rosarno.[6]
After the demise of his father Antonio Pelle Gambazza in November 2009, his son Giuseppe Pelle aspired to replace his father as capo crimine. However, Vincenzo Pesce felt that the nomination of Pelle would distort the equilibrium in the 'Ndrangheta and treathened to form a separate organization taking some 30 locali – local 'Ndrangheta organisations – with him. In stead of Pelle, Oppedisano became the capo crimine.[7]