Melbourne fruit and vegetable wholesaler John Latorre shot dead outside Greenvale home

Police will investigate the possibility of revenge attacks after a man who has links to mafia figures was gunned down in the driveway of his home in Greenvale in Melbourne’s north.

A fruiterer with links to powerful Mafia figures is suspected of being a victim of his own routine in a ruthless gangland hit.

John Latorre was known to ­arrive for work at 5am daily at the Melbourne Market in Epping, where he ran a successful wholesale fruit and vegetable business.

The gunman waited in the shadows at Greenvale – knowing Mr Latorre would leave around 4.30am – and shot him several times in the upper body.

The early-morning ambush on Mr Latorre was over in seconds, carried out as he opened the ­garage door at his Buchanan Place property and moved ­towards his car.

Fruiterer John Latorre, who was gunned down in Greenvale, was well-known in the produce industry. Picture: Supplied

A family member, one of two women at home, was alerted by noise and found Mr Latorre outside with fatal injuries.

Those who knew the victim said there was no sign he had feared for safety.

“There was no indication of any threats to his life,” one source said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Danny Travaglini of the homicide squad said police were prepared for the possibility of 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,” Sergeant Travaglini said.

“We will do whatever we possibly can to ensure there’s no ­retaliation.”

A man’s body is removed from the house on Buchanan Place Greenvale. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Police at the scene on Tuesday morning. Picture: Nicki Connolly

The motive for the murder is not yet clear.

One well-placed source said there had been instability in Italian organised crime ranks ­recently over a major drug ­importation which went bad.

That source said the rancour, related to “missing product”, ­extended as far as Italy.

The Herald Sun does not suggest Mr Latorre was involved in the drug trade, but it is clear some of his associates were.

Mr Latorre was found shot outside his home. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

John Latorre (centre) at the funeral of Vince Benvenuto, son of former Calabrian mafia godfather Liborio Benvenuto.

He had for many years been a firm friend of international drug trafficker Frank Madafferi, and had regularly visited him in jail.

Madafferi will finish a 10-year prison stretch within months for his involvement in the massive ­ecstasy bust of 2007 in which 15 million pills were found hidden in tomato tins.

He is at risk of immediate ­deportation to Italy at the end of his term.

Mr Latorre did not have a major criminal record. He was not banned from Crown casino or the state’s racetracks, unlike some of those he knew.

Vincent Latorre in Shepparton in 1999.

Frank Madafferi outside the Supreme Court in 2017. Picture: David Crosling

But one detective said he had been firmly on the radar of law enforcement in the past. “He was looked at by Victoria Police with interest over the years,” he said.

It is unlikely Mr Latorre would have had anyone standing over him with his connections.

The Latorre family has had a prominent role in Victoria’s fruit and vegetable industry for decades, and has a longstanding presence in the Shepparton area.

John Latorre’s brother Vince was implicated in a rural Victorian extortion ring that terrorised rival farm and produce owners in the 2000s.

Vince Latorre was in 2009 sentenced to 11 years behind bars for his role in blackmailing rivals between 2002 and 2006 in the Goulburn Valley region.

A 2007 inquest into the mysterious death of Shepparton man Rocco Andrew Iaria found Vince Latorre had either killed or ­assisted in the killing of the then 20-year-old Mr Iaria.

His body was found dumped in an unoccupied grave at the Pine Lodge cemetery in Shepparton in February 1998, with up to three gunshot wounds.

One source said John Latorre may have had interesting connections but he knew him only as a family man who was a popular figure around the market.

“If it was some of the others (murdered), you’d think it was no surprise,” the source said. “Everyone speaks highly of him. He was a good bloke, I can tell you.”

Neighbours described the slain Mr Latorre as a “gentleman” who kept to himself.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au