Whistleblower Luigi Bonaventura warns Ndrangheta ‘strong’ in Australia on Mafia’s Web podcast

A police informant who was a child soldier trained by his father to kill for the mafia, has issued a chilling warning for Australia. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

A police informant who was trained by his father to kill has warned Australia was in the grips of the mafia.

Luigi Bonaventura, 50, has been the key figure in the convictions of more than 500 Mafioso in Italy.

He grew up in the mafia stronghold of Crotone, in Calabria, southern Italy, where he was trained to become a killer by his violent father.

Mr Bonaventura, who now lives in hiding for breaking the mafia’s code of silence, has warned that the Italian mafia still has strong links in Australia.

“There is a really strong presence of the Ndrangheta in Australia,” he told The Mafia’s Web podcast.

The Ndrangheta in Australia are described as “locale” – smaller groups still with ties to the mafia bosses in the south of Italy.

Luigi Bonaventura has risked his life to become an informant against the mafia. Picture: Supplied.

“The Australian Ndrangheta is always the Italian one, it is always the Calabrian one,” he said.

The Australian Federal Police caught a string of crime figures in its AN0M app sting, where police monitored more than 27 million messages sent between criminals in real time.

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said it had provided “years of intelligence” on organised crime groups, including the mafia in Australia.

Mr Bonaventura has been living in hiding in Italy since he became an informant in 2006.

He turned on his family following a life of violence, including being ordered to kill another mafia figure in a revenge attack.

“Being born in a mafia family means to be marked for life to have your destiny chosen by someone else, to be meant to be a Mafioso, a crime man,” Mr Bonaventura said.

“I lived as a baby soldier, a child soldier trained since childhood in a very violent way.

“My mother really treated me with deep love. My dad instead was a violent man, because of the more violent and the old context he lived in. And because he also was trained as a child soldier.”

Bonaventura as a toddler. Picture: Supplied.

Bonaventura as a teenager. He now lives in fear of his life after being a key witness in mafia convictions in Italy. Picture: Supplied.

Mafia clans in Italy compete with each other, often ending in violent reprisals.

Mr Bonaventura was sent to other regions as a teenager to learn different dialects and practices of other mafia groups – essentially becoming a small-time spy.

“I was pledged to avenge the death of a teenager who was brutally killed,” he said.

He said that while the mafia was still violent, they have advanced their methods.

“The Ndrangheta doesn’t need killers any more, they need businessmen,” he said.

“We have families that have more high ambitions, with politics, with industry, with finance, so they educate their children to be politicians, financiers, businessmen.”

Mr Bonaventura’s decision to turn on his family has come at a cost.

He refused a bribe from the mafia to keep silent, which has now become the price on his head.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

His family have also had to be put into witness protection, but they are not allowed to work or study because of the risk to their lives.

His son Nemo, 20, said he had been saved from a life of crime, even though he would have been materially rich had his father stayed in the mafia.

“I would have been in the high ranks of the Ndrangheta. I would have studied, I could have a job in high finance or business,” he said.

“My life is now in danger but I am grateful but I respect the choice of my father.”

They want more support from authorities to help informants who pay such a high price for providing help.

Originally published as Whistleblower Luigi Bonaventura warns Ndrangheta ‘strong’ in Australia on Mafia’s Web podcast