Reputed Ndrangheta or Calabrian mafia leader Carmelo Bruzzese captured in Toronto is now facing deportation back to Italy. Italian authorities raided the home of Bruzzese in Italy locating a sophisticated secret bunker containing water , food, and a air filtration system but the mobster was no where to be found. He had fled to Canada living along with his Canadian daughter and grandchildren where he had strong mafia ties going back several years. Canada’s Immigration Task Force now wants him to be deported because his status as a mafia leader makes him ineligible to be in Canada. Authorities in Italy claim that Bruzzese is a key link between the Calabrian mafia and Sicilian mafia in both Italy and Canada. A police source said that he mixes with the hierarchy of both organized crime groups as they co-operate and compete on numerous ventures. He is also known to be a close contact to the Sicilian based Rizzuto crime family in Montreal and mob boss Vito Rizzuto.

“Carmelo Bruzzese”

Bruzzese the reputed boss of a Grotteria mob clan in Italy directed drug trafficking , murders, corruption along with many other mafia related crimes. Italian prosecutors claim the Rizzuto family from Montreal has maintained close ties to Italy which included those with Bruzzese. It was during mafia investigations into the Rizzuto families Italian connections in 2007 that the transatlantic connections of Bruzzese were found. Many mob insiders in Canada believe the recent attacks on the Rizzuto family were backed by the rival Calabrian mafia clans in Toronto attempting to wrestle control on Montreal from Vito Rizzuto which has lead to a bloody mafia war. It is unclear as to any part Bruzzese may have had in these recent attacks or his current relationship with the Rizzuto family and boss Vito Rizzuto. In Italy he was repeatedly seen meeting with other powerful mafia bosses and was caught on wiretaps discussing mob business. While in Canada he often spent time in cafes north of Toronto which were known to be frequented by mob figures from the Ndrangheta according to police sources. It was said he was so respected in Toronto that when he entered one of these cafes patrons would stand up in a sign of respect until he sat down often at the head of the table or a seat that denoted authority.

This latest Montreal mafia war has caused the Canadian government to take a much tougher stance against Italian mafia groups recently attempting to have many of them deported back to Italy where mafia laws are much stronger. Mobsters from the various mafia families in Italy are aware of the lack of laws Canada has to use against them and more and more over years have established roots there to take advantage. Mr Bruzzese is currently in a Refugee Board detention review and Italian authorities want him to remain in prison until a decision is reached in a deportation hearing because he is a likely risk to flee.