Mariano Agate (Mazara del Vallo, May 19, 1939) is a member of the Sicilian mafia. He has been the boss of the Mafia family in Mazara del Vallo since the 1970s, succeeding Mariano Licari. He was also the Managing Director of Mazara, including the Marsala, Salemi and Vita Mafia families. Agate was a member of "Iside", one of the most powerful local freemasonry battles.
In the 80's, Agate supported the Corleonesi group during the Second Maffia War and became the most important ally of Salvatore Riina (also known as Toto Riina) in the province of Trapani. He also became a member of the Sicilian Maffia Commission.
Agate was arrested for heroin trade in 1982. In 1985, he was sentenced to life for multiple killings, including the murder of judge Giacomo Ciaccio Montalto and the mayor of Castelvetrano, Vito Lipari. Agate was arrested again in 1992, after being released a year earlier. He was sentenced for life for the murder of investigators Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
In the 90's, members of his clan worked together with the Ndrangheta clan led by Giuseppe Morabito from Africo on imports of hash from Morocco and Latin America cocaine.
In 2004, he was accused of leading an international gang of cocaine traders with various Ndrangheta clans (Marando, Trimboli and above all Barbaro clans from Platì), supported by his son Epifanio Agate and Salvatore Miceli, a refugee from Colombia. Although he was imprisoned under the strict regime of Article 41bis of the Italian Prison Act, he gave his son directions on how he should lead the organization.
wiki
