Antonio Nirta

In 1935, at the age of 16, Nirta was already charged for coercion with the use of arms. In 1953, authorities considered him a danger for public order. By 1967, he was charged with criminal association, extortion, and attempted murder.^[1]

In October 1969, Nirta participated in the infamous Montalto meeting near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in the municipality of San Luca. The meeting was interrupted by the police, and was intended to discuss the future operation of the 'Ndrangheta and whether or not the organization would back the Golpe Borghese, a planned right-wing coup attempt by Junio Valerio Borghese, which fizzled out on the night of 8 December 1970. The court in Locri sentenced Nirta to two years and seven months for criminal association because of his attendance of the meeting.^[1]

The historical pre-eminence of the San Luca family within the 'Ndrangheta is such that every new group or locale must obtain its authorization to operate, and every group belonging to the 'Ndrangheta "still has to deposit a small percentage of illicit proceeds to the principale of San Luca as a tribute of sorts, in recognition of the latter's primordial supremacy".^[2] In the words of a study published in 2005 by Italy's domestic intelligence service, San Luca is "the cradle of [the 'Ndrangheta] and its epicentre".^[3]

Since the mid-1970s, according to several pentiti, members of the Nirta family from San Luca and the Piromalli family from Gioia Tauro rotated among themselves the position of capo crimine.^[4] Nirta and his brothers belonged to the high level of the organization, the maggiore.^[5]