In Calabria, mafia gangs set fire to confiscated olive groves.

An ongoing challenge. Thefts, damage to equipment, and burning of wheat fields and olive groves: these are the relentless attacks by Calabrian gangs on confiscated land leased to local cooperatives.

The latest case occurred on July 21, 2026 , in Castellace, in the Oppido Mamertina area: three plots of land confiscated from organized crime and entrusted to the Valle del Marro cooperative (born from a collaboration between the Libera network and the diocese of Oppido Mamertina-Palmi) were burned. In one of the three, covering approximately 9 hectares, 70% of the centuries-old olive trees were destroyed.

The value of these lands is not only agricultural. They are assets seized from the 'Ndrangheta and returned to the community : the cooperative cultivates them, creating jobs, producing organic produce, and demonstrating concretely that land once controlled by criminals can become a legal and social economic activity. A significant portion of the land managed by the cooperative comes from the assets of the Mammoliti clan , active in the Oppido Mamertina area and the Gioia Tauro plain. Other confiscated lands in the area come from various mafia families, including the Piromalli-Molè and the Bellocco-Pesce families.

When the Valle del Marro cooperative began to request and obtain social management of the confiscated lands, the Mammoliti clan attempted to prevent it . In the legal proceedings relating to the damages, it emerged that the goal was essentially to maintain de facto control over the lands even after the confiscation.

In January 2012, for example, approximately 640 centuries-old olive trees were cut down on confiscated land. Saverio "Saro" Mammoliti and others were later convicted for these acts; the proceedings also concerned other crimes committed in the Piana area.

Faced with the latest attack in July 2026, the cooperative's management responded calmly and firmly. Domenica Fazzari, president of the Valle del Marro cooperative, said: "We will not be discouraged by these incidents. We will continue to cultivate the land we manage with the same determination as always, because every tree and every harvest represents a concrete sign of dignified and honest work and social redemption." 

Image source: Diocese of Oppido Mamertina Palmi

Read also:

• Terra Felix: The social cooperative that buys back Camorra assets is attacked by the clans.
• Why not allocate part of the money seized from the clans to social projects?
• Cascina Caccia: Organic honey and saffron are produced in the former 'Ndrangheta bunker.