Greco Mafia clan
Family tree depicting the two branches of the Greco family, from Crovecerde-Giardini and Ciaculli. | |
| Founded | Late 19th century |
|---|---|
| Named after | Greco family |
| Founding location | Ciaculli and Croceverde Giardini, two south-eastern outskirts of Palermo |
| Years active | Decline in the 2000s but still active with a very strong influence |
| Territory | Mostly Ciaculli and Croceverde Giardini. However, for periods of the 20th century they exerted influence throughout Sicily. |
| Ethnicity | Sicilians |
| Activities | Control over the Palermo wholesale market; Cigarette smuggling; Heroin trafficking; money laundering |
| Allies | Uneasy alliance with the Corleonesi (Second Mafia War 1981-1983) |
| Rivals | Acquasanta Mafia clan (Palermo wholesale market war in the mid 1950s) La Barbera brothers (First Mafia War in the early 1960s) |
| Notable members | Giuseppe Greco, aka "Piddu u tinenti" (Piddu the lieutenant) Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco Salvatore "The Engineer" Greco Michele Greco aka The Pope Salvatore "The Senator" Greco |
The Greco Mafia family (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɡrɛːko]) is historically one of the most influential Mafia clans in Sicily, from the late 19th century. The extended family ruled both in Ciaculli and Croceverde Giardini, two south-eastern outskirts of Palermo in the citrus growing area. Members of the family were important figures in the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco was the first ‘secretary’ of the Sicilian Mafia Commission, while one of his successors was Michele Greco, also known as Il Papa ("The Pope") due to his ability to mediate between different Mafia families.
According to the pentito Antonio Calderone "the Grecos effectively exercised power in the whole of Sicily." According to Giovanni Brusca the Greco family was very important and the ones who tipped the balance in every internal Mafia war.