How ruthless execution of Melbourne fruiterer John Latorre unfolded
The pre-dawn execution of a fruiterer with links to powerful Mafia figures shocked Melbourne’s underworld on Tuesday. Here’s how it unfolded.
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The pre-dawn execution of a fruiterer with links to powerful Mafia figures has shocked Melbourne’s underworld and sparked retaliation fears.
John Latorre was on his way to work when he was gunned down outside his Greenvale home in the early hours of Tuesday.
What happened?
The 64-year-old was approached and shot several times in the upper body as he opened the garage door at his Buchanan Place property and walked towards his car about 4.30am, ready to start his work day.
Latorre, who ran the successful family business Latorre’s Fruit & Vegetable Wholesalers at the Melbourne Market in Epping, was known to arrive for work at 5am daily.
A family member, one of two women at home, heard the shooting and rushed out to find Mr Latorre’s dead body. A woman, who was heard wailing at the scene, was taken away in an ambulance and treated for shock.
It is not yet known how many attackers were involved or the motive for the murder.
Latorre’s Mafia links
Mr Latorre’s ties with the Mafia began to emerge in the hours after his violent death.
His brother, Vincent Latorre, was jailed in 2009 for 11 years for his role in blackmailing rival farm and produce owners in the Goulburn Valley region.
It was later revealed Vincent killed or assisted in the killing of 20-year-old Shepparton man Rocco Iaria, a 2007 inquest into the mysterious death found.
Mr Latorre had also been a friend of international drug trafficker Frank Madafferi and often visited him in jail.
Mr Latorre is understood to be a quiet but influential member of the ‘Ndrangheta, a Calabrian organised crime group considered one of the most powerful in the world.
But those who knew him personally said there was “no indication” there were any threats to his life. They said he was a “good bloke” and a family man, who was a popular figure around the market.
What police are saying
The ruthless gangland hit has police on high alert for revenge attacks.
Detective Senior Sergeant Danny Travaglini said on Tuesday police will do “whatever (they) possibly can” to ensure there is no retribution violence.
“If there are links to organised crime there is also the potential for retaliation and that’s where Victoria Police approach such investigations as a high priority,” he said.
“Yes, he was a man known to Victoria Police … those inquiries will be made in relation to what is known, and they will form part of our investigation.”
Mafia in Victoria
The Herald Sun revealed in April last year a new Melbourne-based Godfather had taken over the Mafia crime group, known as the “Honoured Society”.
He replaced the previous top man who had been in charge for decades.
It is believed the transition took place without the bloodshed which marred previous takeovers.
The restructuring came in the wake of the AFP-led worldwide AN0M sting, which recorded communications over years between organised crime figures.
It revealed how massive illicit drug importations were organised or aided through Mafia figures and associates, the size of the profits and how often the Mafia worked alongside outlaw motorcycle gangs.
The AFP said in 2022 its intelligence indicated there were 51 Italian organised crime groups operating across the country.
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