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]

In the late 1970s, several delinquents aged between twenty and forty began meeting regularly at a bar on the old port of Bastia, Corsica, named Brise de Mer (“Sea Breeze”), which was at the time run by a man named Antoine Castelli. Initially involved in petty crime—not always successfully (for example, during one attempted robbery, they reportedly realized upon arrival that they had forgotten their weapons)^[3]—they gradually expanded their operations as the political situation in Corsica deteriorated. In their early years, they were not taken seriously. That changed on September 10, 1981, when they assassinated the local crime boss Louis Memmi, officially a restaurateur in Corte, Haute-Corse, in order to take his place. This act is widely considered the beginning of their reign over the island.^[4]

Francis Mariani was considered one of the most prominent and influential members of the Brise de Mer. Often described as the most charismatic, violent, and fearless figure within the group, he exerted significant authority over other members.^[5]

Richard Casanova, frequently regarded as Mariani’s closest associate and confidant for more than two decades, played a different but equally critical role. Casanova was known for his ability to cultivate political relationships and international connections, notably in Africa, Italy, and Latin America. Serving as a strategic adviser or consigliere figure to Mariani, Casanova eventually distanced himself from the group. In the early 2000s, he formed a rival faction, aligning with key lieutenants such as Jean-Luc Germani and Jean-Luc Codaccioni.

Casanova’s new network drew support from various other Corsican factions, including the Mattéi-Rogliano family—who had previously broken with the Brise de Mer following a 2000 prison-yard assault by Alexandre Rogliano on Pierre-Marie Santucci at the Borgo penitentiary. Additional allies included businessman Michel Tomi; the clan led by Ange-Toussaint Federici, also known as the "Bergers Braqueurs de Venzolasca" (translated as “Shepherd Robbers of Venzolasca”); and the group associated with Alain Orsoni in southern Corsica.

The Corsican organized crime conflict, sometimes referred to as the Grande Guerre du Milieu Corse, is a prolonged violent struggle between rival criminal factions on the island of Corsica and their continental networks. This conflict emerged in the early 2000s and continues into the 2020s, involving deeply rooted rivalries and complex alliances.

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]

Conflict escalated in the mid-2000s after 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; both were later assassinated.

The feud intensified with a failed 2005 assassination attempt on Francis Mariani, which triggered retaliatory killings, including those of Richard Casanova (2008), Pierre-Marie Santucci, and Maurice Costa. Christophe Guazzelli later avenged these by killing Tony Quilichini ("Tony le Boucher") and Jean-Luc Codaccioni in 2017.

The conflict has had broader implications, involving criminal networks on the French mainland (notably in Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, and the Paris region), international links, and historical connections to Françafrique. It also affected figures like Robert Féliciaggi, a businessman with African ties, who was killed in 2006.^{[7] [8]}

Though law enforcement has disrupted some criminal operations, the cycle of reprisals and assassinations continues into the 2020s, involving the next generation of Corsican crime families. The conflict also includes networks operating in mainland France and connections to international arms and drug trafficking.^[9][7]