Lawyers allege foreign interference in high-profile Canadian mafia deportation case
CTV
Lawyers for an alleged high-ranking member of the Italian Mafia in Toronto claim evidence is being used against him that is the product of foreign interference by Italian police.
Lawyers for an alleged high-ranking member of the Italian Mafia in Toronto claim evidence is being used against him that is the product of foreign interference by Italian police.
The yearslong case, brought forward by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and being heard before the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration Refugee Board (IRB), seeks to have Vincenzo “Jimmy” DeMaria ruled inadmissible to Canada over claims he is a member of an Italian organized crime group, known as the ‘Nndrangheta, among other unproven allegations.
Documents entered in the case show that a key piece of evidence against DeMaria are recordings of conversations gathered by Italian police, which were eventually provided to the CBSA, that purport to show DeMaria is a member of the ‘Ndrangheta and thus should no longer be allowed to live in Canada.
In a recent application to exclude evidence, DeMaria’s lawyers argue that these conversations were recorded illegally by Italian police, are the product or in furtherance of foreign interference, and should not be permitted in the case.
According to the case file, in 2018, a man by the name of Carmelo Muia, believed by Italian authorities to be a member of the ‘Ndrangheta, was murdered in Calabria -- the southernmost region on mainland Italy. This sent Muia’s brother, Vincenzo, on a quest to figure out who was behind the killing.
Italian police documents reveal that what Muia didn’t know was that as part of their own investigation to solve that very same murder, they were listening in on his conversations, after bugging his cell phone. During these conversations, Muia was heard stating that he was going to travel to Canada as part of his mission to solve his brother’s murder.
According to police documents and sources, The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is considered to be home to one of the strongest concentrations of ‘Ndrangheta members in the world, outside of Calabria. So much so, that Muia believed that alleged members of the ‘Ndrangheta in the GTA may not only be able to confirm who killed his brother, but also authorize him to strike back against the person he thought was responsible -- potentially starting a gangland war on the streets of Calabria.
