Gang de la Brise de Mer

The Gang de la Brise de Mer was one of the most powerful Corsican criminal organizations. Based in Northern Corsica, the gang controls various activities (racketeering, slots machines traffic, laundering, night clubs, gambling clubs, casinos, etc.) in Corsica, but also in the South of France, in Paris, in Italy, in Occidental African countries (Gabon, Mali, Cameroon, etc.), and in Latin American countries.

The gang's moniker came from a Bastia cafe called La Brise de Mer ("the sea breeze"), where they held meetings throughout the 1970s.

The gang is well known for its spectacular, violent armed robberies in Corsica, France and the rest of Europe. The robbery of the UBS bank in Geneva, Switzerland in 1990; the attack on a Securipost trunk in 1991 and the robbery of Air France Mercure in 1992 are probably the most important robberies of the gang.

The "Brise de Mer" is also suspected of involvement in the murders in 2001 of members of Armata Corsa, a separatist Corsican armed group.

Around ten families or clans constitute the "Brise de Mer" organization. Its capital is estimated to be between 120 and 150 million Euros. This money is invested in Corsica (in illegal activities like racketeering etc. but also legal activities like tourism and construction business) and the rest of France, through the running of night clubs, bars and illegal slots machines (principally in the Southern France cities like Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Toulon) and gambling clubs in Paris. Other investments are casino activities in Africa, Latin America and Italy.

In 2001, several gangsters escaped from a prison near Bastia by sending fake faxes from a judge ordering their release.^[1]

Since 2008, several important suspected members of the gang (Richard Casanova, Daniel Vittini, Francis Mariani, Pierre-Marie Santucci) have been killed during violent conflicts among the various Corsican gangs.^[2]

The Gang de la Brise de Mer began in the late 1970s, when a group of young Corsican criminals started meeting at a bar in Bastia’s old port called La Brise de Mer, run by Antoine Castelli. In the beginning, their crimes were small and often clumsy. For example during one early robbery, they forgot to bring their weapons.^[3] As Corsica grew more unstable, the group became more organized, moving from petty crime to larger operations. Their rise began on September 10, 1981, with the assassination of Louis Memmi, who was a leading crime figure. It marked the start of their influence over Corsican organized crime.^[4]

Francis Mariani was a prominent member of the Brise de Mer. Known for his influence and strong personality, he played a key leadership role within the group.

Richard Casanova, was a longtime associate of Mariani and played an important role in the Brise de Mer.^[5] He was known for making political and international contacts. In the early 2000s, he left the group formed a new faction with Jean-Luc Germani and Jean-Luc Codaccioni.

Casanova’s new group received support from other Corsican clans, including the Mattéi-Rogliano family, who had split from the Brise de Mer after a prison-yard incident in 2000. He also brought in businessman Michel Tomi, the Federici clan known as the “Shepherd Robbers of Venzolasca” and the group from southern Corsica led by Alain Orsoni.

The Corsican organized crime conflict, known as the Grande Guerre du Milieu Corse, is a long-running power struggle. It began in the early 2000s and extends into the 2020s. Rival criminal factions and their mainland allies are at the center. Each group fights for control over lucrative criminal enterprises across Corsica and beyond.

The violence stems from tensions between two main alliances:

• The Brise de Mer coalition, based in northern Corsica, includes figures such as Francis and Jacques Mariani, Francis Guazzelli and his sons Christophe and Richard, and clans led by Pierre-Marie Santucci, Maurice Costa, and Robert Moracchini.
• The southern alliance, centered around the legacy of Jean-Jérôme Colonna (killed in 2006), includes his successors Ange-Marie Michelosi and his son, along with the Petit Bar gang led by Jacques Santoni, which has been dominant in the Ajaccio area during the 2020s.^[6]

The conflict escalated in the mid-2000s. This followed the collapse of the Société Méditerranéenne de Sécurité, founded by former nationalists Antoine Nivaggioni (ex-MPA) and Yves Manunta (ex-ANC). Financial disputes led Manunta to ally with the Petit Bar gang.^[7] Both were later assassinated.^[8]

The feud intensified after a failed assassination attempt on Francis Mariani in 2005. Retaliation followed quickly. Richard Casanova was killed in 2008,^[9] along with Pierre-Marie Santucci and Maurice Costa. Christophe Guazzelli took revenge years later by killing Tony Quilichini ("Tony le Boucher") and Jean-Luc Codaccioni in 2017.^[10]

The conflict reached far beyond Corsica. It pulled in criminal networks from Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, and the Paris region. There were also ties abroad, including links to Françafrique. It also affected figures like Robert Féliciaggi, a businessman with African ties, who was killed in 2006.^[11][12][13]

Law enforcement has disrupted some criminal operations. But killings and revenge still drive the conflict into the 2020s. The next generation of Corsican crime families is now involved. The conflict also includes networks operating in mainland France and beyond. It is tied to arms deals, drug routes, and global trafficking networks.^[6][11]