is linked by close family ties to a leading member of the Campobello di Mazara mafia family investigators from the Central Operations Service and the ROS executed a precautionary custody order issued by the investigating judge at the Court of Palermo at the request of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate for personal aiding and abetting and procuring non-compliance with a sentence aggravated by having been committed in order to benefit the Cosa Nostra mafia association a leading member of the Campobello di Mazara mafia family and a historic right-hand man of the former fugitive aimed at reconstructing the network of supporters who supported the then fugitive Messina Money Matteo – corroborated by the analysis of telephone records and cell traffic by viewing video surveillance images and by the development of declarative sources – have revealed the active role played by the defendant during the time of Messina Denaro Matteo as a fugitive the investigative elements acquired lead to the hypothesis that CF provided the then fugitive with logistical support aid and moral and material support in the territory of Campobello di Mazara Tre Fontane and in other locations in the province of Trapani in order to also satisfy his primary personal needs ensuring him through a system of relay and escort with his own car the possibility of moving in a confidential manner on the territory and of not being captured by the police Searches are currently underway in the province of Trapani with the support of the Crime Prevention Departments of the State Police and personnel of the helicopter squadron "Cacciatori Sicilia" of the Carabinieri Read also other news on Nova News Click here and receive updates on WhatsApp Follow us on the social channels of Nova News on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Telegram Authorities suspect omerta may have helped Matteo Messina Denaro live in freedom among 10,000 people It is hard to believe that in the small Sicilian town of Campobello di Mazara where everyone knows each other and their secrets no one thought to inquire after the identity of the man who had turned up out of the blue The street outside the apartment in Campobello where an apparent secret bunker has been found Photograph: Alessio Mamo for the GuardianImpeccably dressed in designer clothes he could be seen drinking an espresso at the local cafe on most mornings That is until Monday, when he was arrested coming out of a clinic in Palermo and revealed to be Matteo Messina Denaro the last godfather of the Sicilian mafia and the world’s most wanted mob boss Denaro being led out of the clinic in in Palermo on Monday Photograph: Italian carabinieri press officeThere is a Sicilian proverb that roughly translates as: “He who speaks little will live a hundred years.” It refers to the code of silence which for three decades protected Denaro and dozens of other mafia bosses before him “I cannot deny feeling great bitterness and a lot of disbelief in having learned that Matteo Messina Denaro lived right in Campobello,” said the town’s mayor there are citizens here who have chosen to put their heads in the sand.” According to mafia informers and prosecutors nicknamed Diabolik or U Siccu (the skinny one) holds the key to some of the most heinous crimes perpetrated by the Sicilian mafia including the bomb attacks in 1992 that killed the anti-mafia magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino and the killing in 1996 of Giuseppe Di Matteo the 12-year-old son of a mobster turned state witness who was strangled and dissolved in acid he was convicted and sentenced in absentia to life in prison for having personally killed or ordered the murders of dozens of people Denaro – who once claimed “I filled a cemetery all by myself” – had been in hiding since 1993 Italian investigators relentlessly seized his businesses and arrested more than 100 of his confederates But every time investigators seemed to get closer to their target disappearing and reappearing around the world Former mobsters claimed to have seen him in Spain It is not yet known what he did in those 30 years and which countries he visited it is certain that in early 2021 he decided to move to his Sicilian stronghold in the province of Trapani five minutes from his home town of Castelvetrano and 11 minutes drive from his mother’s house Local people gather on the street in Castelvetrano Photograph: Alessio Mamo for the GuardianHe bought a modest apartment not far from the town centre about two miles from the sea on the south-western coast of Sicily where the carabinieri police on Thursday said they found a poster of Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Godfather featuring the face of Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone The flat’s deeds were in the name of Andrea Bonafede whose identity was taken by Denaro while he was a fugitive A poster of Marlon Brando in The Godfather Photograph: Carabinieri“I saw him at the bar Another neighbour said: “I didn’t know who he was he was a gentleman who said ‘good morning and good evening.” With police from around the world trying to track him down Denaro was living like a free man in Campobello – a Sicilian echo of Osama bin Laden’s final years in Abbottabad his home for five years before he was killed in a raid by US forces in 2011 “I didn’t know who he was,’’ said the owner of a cosmetics shop on the corner by Denaro’s apartment “There are more than a few questions regarding the fact that someone like Denaro could have gone unnoticed in Campobello,” he said “But we knew people weren’t going to race to give us information … ” often reflecting a lack of trust towards institutions of the state Anti-mafia posters hang from a gate in Castelvetrano Photograph: Alessio Mamo for the GuardianFor 14 years a Sicilian journalist and author of a biography on Denaro called The Invisible started his daily radio show on Rmc 101 by asking the question: “Matteo born and raised on the same land as Denaro knows what it means to live in places under the shadow of the mafia “The mafia in these parts has operated as a welfare state the state didn’t fill that void and people lost faith in the authorities In a place like Campobello – population 10.000 – there are around 50 people celebrating Denaro’s arrest Dozens more people fear being arrested for protecting him And then there are the remaining 9,000 inhabitants who are quite simply resigned to living in an area abandoned by the Italian state.” Denaro had apparently kept up his luxurious lifestyle perfumes and ties by Yves Saint Laurent in his house on Monday night The entrance to the bunker was concealed by a closet full of clothes Denaro was moved to a maximum-security prison in the central Italian city of L’Aquila Prosecutors have placed at least four people under investigation after his arrest The maximum-security prison in L’Aquila to where Denaro has been moved Photograph: Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto/Rex/ShutterstockDuring the first hours in prison Denaro had 30 years to nominate his successor hide his money and make evidence of his illicit dealings disappear investigators have been sifting through every inch of his hideouts in Campobello in search of confidential documents The police hope to find the “secret archive” of the Sicilian mafia’s “boss of bosses” Totò Riina, who died in 2017 the archive was stolen by Denaro and allegedly contains the secrets of the last 40 years of mafia killings but the quest to uncover secrets has just begun You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed  Three oncologists from the "La Maddalena" clinic in Palermo were heard in court in Marsala as defense witnesses in the trial of Dr a former general practitioner from Campobello di Mazara (Tp) Tumbarello is charged with external complicity in a mafia association and falsifying public documents for having issued numerous medical certificates in the name of "Andrea Bonafede," born in '63 to allow the Castelvetrano mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro The three doctors called to testify by defense attorneys Giacchino Sbacchi and Giuseppe Pantaleo were Antonella Marchese All testified that they knew him as Andrea Bonafede Marchese stated that Matteo Messina Denaro "was very concerned about the future… he wanted to know clearly how much time he had left to live." She added "I knew him during the chemotherapy treatments he was undergoing I met him several times during that period a report with various prescriptions was issued The patient was contacted by the clinic the day before the therapy appointment The relationship was the normal patient-doctor type he talked about a daughter." Chiara Ancona stated "I saw the patient three or four times during chemotherapy treatment I made prescriptions for home treatment and reports on therapies to follow at home I had no relationship other than the doctor-patient one." Dr said he treated him for "three or four months" and discovered he was the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro "only on the day of the arrest." He added "Normal doctor-patient relationships had been established Bonafede presented himself as very polite." Two other doctors did not appear in court and will be summoned again for the hearing on September 16 four more defense witnesses are expected to be heard Civil parties in the trial against Tumbarello include the Medical Association of the Province of Trapani the Anti-Racket and Anti-Usury Association of Trapani both represented by lawyer Giuseppe Novara the "Antonino Caponnetto" association and the municipalities of Campobello di Mazara and Castelvetrano This is the first time the Medical Association of Trapani has taken a stand against one of its own members Un pensionato riceve una bolletta della luce da quasi 1500 euro e non riesce a capire da dove salti fuori quella cifra  Three members of the criminal organization targeted by the "El Rais" operation carried out by the Catania District Anti-Mafia Prosecutor’s Office i paramenti sacri rivestono un ruolo di primaria importanza Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker invading Carthaginian forces led by Hannibal Mago swept into what is now Sicily the Cave of Cusa had been an important quarry for 150 years Most of the buildings in the nearby ancient Greek city of Selinunte were constructed from limestone hewn from these pits.  Desperate to escape the oncoming devastation abandoning their tools and carved stones in the process visitors to this designated Sicilian Archeological Zone can still see roughly 60 blocks of chiseled limestone left behind The remnants include whole columns that were never transported to their final destination.  This rocky outcrop served as a quarry for some of the bluestones that sit at the center of Stonehenge A mysterious solitary standing stone from the Neolithic period This North African stone complex is considered to be the oldest astronomical observatory on Earth No other place in Scotland has such a high concentration of prehistoric carved stone surfaces More than 1,000 stone figures were discovered in a small Nigerian town mysterious stone altars are hidden among wild woods in central Italy The partially submerged ruins of a white marble quarry used in ancient Greece for over 1,200 years This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Italian industries like food production rely heavily on the imports of raw materials Italy is one of the European Union’s largest agricultural producers and food processors four percent of the population thrives in the farming industry there is a dire want for seasonal and cheap workers new and albeit defenseless migrants have a desperate need for any type of job to establish themselves in Italy Campobello di Mazara is an industrial desert hidden among the olive groves The settlements are composed of mostly Senegalese and Gambians living in makeshift wooden shacks the so-called “ghetto of Campobello” burned down followed by a heated protest Hundreds of workers lost all their belongings and were left homeless Cheikh Baye Fall is one of those fortunate enough to flee Campobello he assembled the “How to build a space to hold Solidarity with Campobello” campaign following the labor field’s destruction “Even after th[e] tragic [fire], the farmers continued to toil and construct huts whilst everyone turned a blind eye to the tragedy,” Cheik told Ark Republic. As if the situation could not worsen, this is not a first. More than three years ago, the same camp was demolished by local authorities for inhumane living conditions Recent research states about 500,000 migrant laborers in the industry 80 percent of those working without work contracts are foreigners Predatory employers continue to gather compelling profits incomparable to the amount of work being done workers endure ceaseless hours under exploitative conditions for meager wages Richard Braude of the political organization explained the company’s systemic role as complicated “[M]ost [foriegn laborers] working in agricultural sites such as Campobello [di Mazara] do not have [work] contracts Fundamentally, Italy’s strict immigration laws—which became even stricter during far-right leader Matteo Salvini’s brief tenure as interior minister from June 2018 to September 2019—prohibit migrants living on Italian soil from working a regular job “We toil relentlessly under the sun and get treated worse than animals just to have humane treatment,” Senegal-born laborer Mikiele Diop affirmed in a teary address regarding the dilemma for immigrants that often exists within the Italian documentation system He lamented the remorse of the living situations being tougher than his motherland calling this system biased would be an understatement.”  The governmental failure to implement defined assertive long-term policies contributes to continual protests and assemblies organised by concerned parties cooperatives and protests might drive the current Administration to properly address work and immigration regarding the Italian agricultural system Richard insists that the practice of providing working documents to workers might be deliberate Some large buyers purchase from vulnerable small farmers who cannot cover taxes food merchants sell their products to supermarkets that can meet the costs small farmers employ people at very low wages without proper contractual protections to increase their profit margins the situation fueled some migrant groups to innovate A collective of West Africans formed a cooperative to protect their agricultural rights in Rome promotes social inclusion through the production and sale of organic yogurt as well as vegetables “The formation of [pro-farmer rights] cooperatives ha[ve] been key in helping migrants who work in the agricultural sector to get proper documentation.” Cheikh Diop from Barikama every worker in the cooperative is documented He confirmed that the government intervened initially some members participated in the January 2010 Rosarno riots against racism and farm worker exploitation there have been projects since the introduction of the anti-caporalato law that prohibits an unlicensed supply of workers to others the middleman hires five or six workers to work on a farm and takes the cut there has been government and trade union opposition “against the middle man.”  This is evidenced by funding made available to encourage more ethical practices in the sector Richard explains that some small temporary interventions can make a few good examples These government-funded interventions may involve corruption and the final results might be either good or bad Arci Porco Rosso is part of the cooperatives “We try to help people with accommodation but overall the sector continues to get worse.”  he states places like Campobello might be the worst in the world the legislative course is a house of cards despite Barikama and Arci Porco Rosso`s success Artist Lina Issa invited workers from Campobello in Palermo to revisit what they had lost by building one of their huts with the public even passers-by and market vendors were in attendance to meet the workers the “space to hold project” continues to support the Campobello reconstruction through external funding an outright answer on whether the Mattarella Administration will intervene to discontinue unethical working conditions remains in limbo efforts to diminish illegal practices are visible victims’ aggravation should be anticipated We’re raising money for Ark Republic and Black Farmers Index We need your help to keep the wheels churning and the stories flowing Please donate to organizations committed to keeping you informed with rich robust stories and great connections to empowered people Nyawira Mithayo is a journalist covering political and cultural issues in Europe & Africa Sign up for Ark Republic's Weekly Check in Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Louisiana rice producer and rice mill owner uses agriculture as a form of reparations Farmer’s collard green giveaway sponsored by Black Farmers Index and Ark Republic honor New Year’s culinary From pasture-raised beef cattle to free range chickens to fresh caught fish The pandemic saw thousands of Americans dive into the age-old vocation of farming A lifelong gardener answers the call to build an Eden to educate a community and return Email: buildwithus@arkrepublic.com Phone: 973-988-5881 Location: Newark Foreigners who work long hours for negligible pay in the Sicilian countryside are having their settlements razed some photos of his children that he left behind in Gambia He has placed everything on the saddle of an old rusty bicycle and is about to leave the camp that same cardboard box had served as the roof of the hut where he has lived for almost a year in the countryside of Campobello di Mazara a small village nestled in a green plain of olive trees in western Sicily Abdoulie is one of about 2,000 migrants working in the large-scale production of extra virgin olive oil 200 African refugees and migrants were living in a camp of wood and cardboard shacks in a makeshift settlement a few hundred metres from the owners’ land They were competing for the opportunity to work long hours in the fields It was demolished by the local authorities who deemed it too dangerous to live there because of the waste scattered around an area that had no electricity Informal migrant labour camps such as this are becoming a phenomenon according to local rights groups According to trade unions and associations, more than a dozen illegal camps have been demolished in Italy over the past three years. In March 2017, the authorities swept away a settlement in Rignano Garganico, the largest migrant labourer camp in Europe which accommodated 3,000 workers in Puglia last summer Two months later another informal shantytown which also housed hundreds of African workers public opinion about the presence of the camps has turned from frustration to hostility Despite the efforts of Don Baldassare Meli a priest who has repeatedly appealed to people in Campobello to host migrants in the village’s many empty houses Abdoulie and his companions now sleep rough in the countryside “They should have found shelter for these people before destroying their homes,” says Meli Refugees are already vulnerable to labour exploitation If we demolish their houses then we will see many falling into more serious abuse because they are at the complete mercy of their employers.” Migrant labour is a booming business in Sicily, not only for farmers but also for the contractors who recruit men and women to work illegally in the fields. Some Africans who have seen their camps destroyed say they are being paid €2 (£1.76) an hour, €7.50 below the legal minimum wage. Laws passed last year promised eight-year prison sentences for those recruiting and exploiting migrant workers. But Italian labour unions say up to 300,000 illegal workers continue to generate billions of euros a year in profit for Italy’s agricultural sector. Migrants help the country’s economy, says Yvan Sagnet, a former Cameroonian field worker and now president of the No Cap association, which fights to improve the rights of migrant workers. “Demolishing a field means eliminating the effects, not the causes of the exploitation,” says Sagnet. “And the consequences will be worse for the workers. It solves nothing.” When one settlement is demolished, says Sagnet, another quickly appears. In the meantime, the workers affected become even more susceptible to exploitation. “They will be willing to work for less,” he says. “A united group, which lives together, is stronger and can better assert its rights. But if that group is broken up, after a demolition, those workers will find themselves alone, and therefore even more vulnerable to exploitation.” Public opinion about refugee numbers across Italy has turned toxic in the wake of the general election in March, which was punctuated by a surge in support for anti-immigrant parties. a neo-fascist shot and injured six Africans in the city of Macerata rightwing parties made pre-election pledges to expel 600,000 migrants from Italy “The demolition of the camp is certainly a consequence of the climate of tension and intolerance that has characterised this campaign,” says Meli otherwise they risk being devoured by a system of exploitation that will turn them into slaves.” nothing is left now; only piles of plastic and other trash Abdoulie has found shelter in an abandoned house in the countryside no doubt to set up another camp wherever they can Italian investigators discover designer clothes and expensive shoes inside ‘normal’ two-storey building one of the world’s most-wanted criminals who had spent 30 years on the run lived in a modest apartment in western Sicily in his final months as a free man Denaro, 60, who was apprehended as he came out of a well-known private clinic in Palermo, lived in a small apartment inside a two-storey yellow building in the centre of the town of Campobello di Mazara, in the province of Trapani, in the heart of his territory. comfortable apartment,” said Col Marco Bottino the commander of the TrapaniCarabinierimilitary police “He had been living there for at least six months.” which was discovered late on Monday night and searched by investigators A man who lived on the first floor of the building told journalists he did not know his neighbour was the infamous mafia boss A video grab released by the Carabinieri shows an officer taking images of Denaro’s apartment building Photograph: Italian Carabinieri press office/AFP/Getty ImagesThe commander of the Campobello traffic police said many citizens say they saw Denaro having coffee in the morning at the bar or going to a pizzeria for dinner Why should I have suspected anything?” another neighbour said he was a gentleman who said ‘good morning and good evening’ investigators said they doubted that in Campobello no one knew that the most wanted mafia boss on the planet lived there The apartment was owned by Andrea Bonafede the same name that appears on the forged identity card in Denaro’s possession at the time of his arrest But Andrea Bonafede is not just a false name He was found by the police officers who took him to the prosecutors for questioning Nicknamed Diabolik or U Siccu (the skinny one) His father was a powerful Cosa Nostra boss and Denaro thrived in the family business building an illicit multibillion-euro empire in the waste disposal he holds the key to some of the most heinous crimes perpetrated by the Sicilian mafia the 12-year-old son of a mobster-turned state witness who was strangled and dissolved in acid Denaro was convicted and sentenced in absentia to life in prison for having personally killed or ordered the murders of dozens of people apparently maintained his luxurious lifestyle thanks to several bankrollers who he was wearing luxury clothes and a €38,000 (£33,700) watch Newspapers in Bari Photograph: Donato Fasano/Getty ImagesFor years some investigators speculated he had moved to France or South America who was once considered a candidate to be the Sicilian mafia’s boss of bosses after the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017 seems to have never really moved away from his stronghold Gen Pasquale Angelosanto of the Carabinieri said: “It is possible that he left Sicily and went abroad in the end – like many other mafiosi – did not leave the territory in which he operated.” Investigators said they had seized mobile phones and placed Denaro’s personal doctor Denaro visited La Maddalena clinic in Palermo at least six times in the last year to undergo chemotherapy “His condition is serious,” Vittorio Gebbia “The illness has accelerated in recent months.” Denaro was moved to a maximum security prison in the central Italian city of L’Aquila Campobello di MazaraThursday January 19 2023 The TimesPolice have discovered a secret bunker that they suspect was used by the mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro After the capture of Italy’s most wanted mob boss following 30 years on the run the police found a flat in Campobello di Mazara used by him but none of the documents they hope will shed light on Cosa Nostra’s bombing campaign in the 1990s Yesterday officers raided a second flat in the town where they found a bunker-like room accessed through a cupboard who has been convicted of scores of murders has secret archives once owned by the late boss Toto Riina that may reveal the names of politicians who connived with the Cosa Nostra ‘Last godfather’ of Sicilian mafia Matteo Messina Denaro was arrested after 30 years on run Italian military police have found a possible secret bunker suspected of being used by Matteo Messina Denaro, the “last godfather” of the Sicilian mafia who was arrested on Monday after 30 years on the run. The entrance to the bunker was concealed in a closet full of clothes in a house in Campobello di Mazara, a small town in Sicily where the apartment Denaro, 60, had been living in was discovered on Tuesday. Investigators said they had found emeralds, diamonds and other gemstones, but they were also searching for documents believed to be in Denaro’s possession, in particular a “secret archive” of the Sicilian mafia’s “boss of bosses” Totò Riina, who died in 2017, which, according to some mafia informers, was stolen by Denaro and allegedly contains the secrets of the last 40 years of mafia killings. Read moreProsecutors believe Denaro holds the key to some of the most heinous crimes perpetrated by the Sicilian mafia The street outside the apartment Photograph: Alessio Mamo/the GuardianDenaro was in 2002 convicted and sentenced in absentia to life in prison for having personally killed or ordered the murders of dozens of people 1:29People on the streets cheer as Italy's most-wanted mafia boss is arrested – video reportIn order to protect themselves, mafia bosses in Italy are known for building escape tunnels under their houses sophisticated bunkers in mountains that are reachable only on foot and hideouts in the woods for when they are on the run The function and size of the structure in Campobello di Mazara is not yet fully known Denaro was arrested on Monday at a medical clinic in Palermo where he was receiving treatment for a tumour allegedly belongs to a man who was previously tried for mafia association and acquitted in 2001 In the house also soft toys and dozens of shoes a room used as a gym where you can also store the ironing board and a drying rack in the corridor where you can dry your clothes Thus appears the house in Campobello di Mazara di Matteo Messina Denaro in the images released by the Carabinieri dei Ros and where the boss spent the last months on the run The pictures show some paintings hanging on the wall including a print of Joker played by Joaquin Phoenix and one of Al Pacino ne The Godfather a brown sofa and dozens of shoes placed in a shoe rack The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden The 61-year-old has been suffering from colon cancer for several years It was his decision to seek treatment that led to his arrest following a visit to a clinic in the Sicilian capital Palermo he was detained in a high-security jail in L'Aquila Messina Denaro was moved to the inmates ward of the local hospital where his condition has declined in recent days Medics have stopped feeding him and he has asked not to be resuscitated Messina Denaro was for many years a leading figure in Cosa Nostra the real-life Sicilian crime syndicate depicted in the Godfather movies He was also one of its most ruthless bosses and was handed six life sentences over the years including for his role in the murder of anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone in 1992 He was also found guilty of involvement in a string of deadly bombings in Rome and the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the 12-year-old son of a witness in the Falcone case Messina Denaro disappeared in the summer of 1993 and became the top name on Italy's most-wanted list READ ALSO: More than 100 suspected Italian mafia members arrested in Europe-wide raids There was intense speculation in the years that followed about where he had gone he was found to have been staying near his hometown of Castelvetrano in western Sicily Investigators had been combing the Sicilian countryside for possible hideouts for years wiretapping members of his family and his friends They were heard discussing the medical problems of an unnamed person who suffered from cancer as well as eye problems - a person who detectives became sure was Messina Denaro They used a national health system database to search for male patients of the right age and medical history But while his arrest brought some relief for his victims the mob boss always maintained his silence In interviews in custody since being arrested Messina Denaro even denied he was a member of the Cosa Nostra Please log in here to leave a comment You are using an outdated browser. Upgrade your browser today or install Google Chrome Frame to better experience this site Get Directions Central Chapel | (519) 253-72341700 Tecumseh Rd Banwell Chapel | (519) 253-723511677 Tecumseh Rd South Chapel | (519) 253-72363048 Dougall Avenue Proudly Canadian | Owned & Operated by Arbor Memorial Inc African migrants living in squalid tent camps are being paid derisory wages while turning huge profits for gang masters in the olive groves of western Sicily The stench of rank sewage cuts through the crisp morning air in this quiet corner of western Sicily From a distance it looks like an open-air dump Men emerge from flimsy tents pitched amid piles of rubbish and ramshackle huts made of cardboard and plastic sheets This makeshift and filthy encampment is home to 1,200 people they are desperately competing for the opportunity to work long hours in the fields as illegal agricultural workers for paltry Migrant labour makes good business sense – both for local farmers and for the “caporali” labour contractors who recruit men and women to work illegally in Sicily’s agricultural sector Some African workers say they are being paid just €2 (£1.72) an hour – €7.50 below the legal minimum wage – with no contract or health insurance Informal migrant labour camps such as this one in Campobello di Mazara are becoming a “phenomenon” according to local migrant rights groups working in the area Laws passed last year promise eight-year prison sentences for those recruiting and exploiting migrant workers. Nonetheless, Italian labour unions say that up to 300,000 illegal foreign workers generate billions of euros a year in profit. Read moreThe men and women at this camp are all here to work in the nearby olive groves and tomato and aubergine greenhouses their illegal labour entering the supply chains of Italian goods exported all over the world hundreds of migrants wearing sandals and hats crawl out of their tents and shelters and queue outside the camp waiting for local farmers to collect them in vans and bring them to the fields thin blue tent with another Senegalese migrant since September This autumn he hoped to scrape together enough money working the Sicilian olive harvest to get him through the winter they [only] took 100 to work,” says Amadou According to the Coldiretti oil production on the island has hit a record low this year with a drop of almost 42% on the seasonal average This means less work and fewer wages for those who do get picked to jump aboard the vans heading out to the fields Amadou now has no more money to get him there describing the worsening squalor of the camp as winter closes in And there is not even enough food or water Migrants return from the fields in Campobello di Mazara Photograph: Francesco BellinaHe lives alongside other Senegalese Many are teenagers who ran away from reception centres desperate to find work Valentina Campanella, president of the Sicilian branch of Anolf an organisation helping migrants and asylum seekers says that informal migrant tent camps are drawing those most at risk from Sicily’s migrant community “There is enormous pressure on existing services,” she says “The shelters are collapsing and there is no space in the reception centres Many migrants are willing to do anything to make any money and they are the most vulnerable and easiest to exploit We need an organisation to negotiate contracts between the farmers and migrantsYvan Sagnet CGILMany are angry about the situation in which they find themselves They are the hands and faces of slavery.” the signs of the violence he suffered in Libya The owners of the land say I look too young and it is a big risk for them if there are checks.” lines of men queue outside the camp shower a makeshift structure hung with plastic sheeting Youngsters like Yoro who can’t find work sell tin cans of lukewarm water they have collected from the two working taps near the camp to sell to workers returning from the fields Others sit on the ground wrapping cuts on their hands and arms with toilet paper and sticky tape north Africans barter over second-hand boots has been working on an investigation into the Sicilian gang masters profiting from migrant labour exploitation His investigation was triggered by an alleged attack on a 27-year-old Nigerian who was working in the fields of Favara After working two extra hours in the field the Italian man allegedly pulled out a gun and fired several shots “All the inhumanity of this phenomenon has come out in this investigation,” Vella says “The exploited immigrants in the countryside are treated as dead meat Yvan Sagnet, a 31-year-old Cameroonian and former informal agricultural worker, led migrant protests against exploitation in the Sicilian fields in 2011. He is now a union leader for CGIL the tent and leaking shelters signify a failure to implement hard-won laws intended to protect migrants from labour abuses “Existing laws need to be applied, such as the requirement for farmers to give a contract to seasonal workers in Italy that includes food and a place to stay migrant workers are forced to live in these ‘ghetto-camps’.” A worker warms his hands over a fire as night falls at the migrant camp in Campobello di Mazara Photograph: Francesco BellinaHe says one solution is to turn these spaces into official immigration camps “We can’t just get rid of the tents and send these workers home “We need an institutional organisation to negotiate the contracts between the farmers and the migrants.” the long queues will begin to form again as the migrants wait for the vans to arrive He needs to work but he knows his chances are slim “They consider me too old to work,” he says