The holiday paradise hiding Europe’s worst murder rate and Mafia-style hitmen

It’s the beautiful French island where close to three million tourists flock every summer to enjoy the Caribbean-like beaches and luxury hotels.

But the kidnapping of Made in Chelsea star Freddy Knatchbull – who was bundled into a car by gangsters while filming the E4 show – is a reminder of Corsica’s dark underbelly, which has given it the highest murder rate in Europe.

Now campaigners warn that violent gangs have got their hooks into the tourism industry on the ‘Isle of Beauty’, having been attracted by the huge sums flowing in from wealthy visitors from all over the world.

Valerie Clemens is a member of the ‘Mafia No Life Yes Collective’ (Collective Maffia No’, a Vita Iè) that is calling for authorities to be given greater powers to crack down on the mob menace.

She tells us: “The murder rate is strongly linked to organized crime – the gangs that are involved in drugs, public works and waste disposal.”

“If you are a British tourist and you go to Corsica, you might not think there is a problem.”

“But the people that run the gangs have mafia characteristics and Corsica has the highest murder rate in Europe.”

“Innocent people can end up being killed.”

“The police don’t have the right legislation to crack down on this and that is what we are fighting for.”

Clemens joined the anti-mafia group after political activist Massimu-Susini, 36, was shot dead while walking to his beachfront restaurant in the town of Cargèse, on the west of the island, in 2019.

He was killed by a shotgun equipped with a telescopic sight usually used to hunt bears.

Campaigners say he was targeted because he refused to let dealers sell drugs to the young people that frequented his popular business.

His uncle, Jean-Toussaint Plasenzotti, said afterwards: “The reality is that organised crime is central to Corsican life.”

Clemens knows nothing of Freddy’s kidnapping outside of news reports stating that the reality star, 20, was bundled into a 4×4 by gang members before he was released.

The motive behind the incident is still unclear.

However, the TV star has royal links, as a great-grandson of Prince Philip’s uncle, and E4 producers were reportedly kept in the dark.

A source previously told The Sun: “The cast were very worried. There were five burly men. They were intimidating and hostile and locked the doors of the 4×4 with Freddy inside.”

“No one could get hold of him for ages.”

Code of silence

Clemens is keen to make clear that the majority of British holidaymakers will be safe while visiting the island.

But the huge amount of money to be made from the booming tourist industry has acted as a magnet for gangsters wanting to cash in.

Organized crime groups frequently launder money through the bars and restaurants that holidaymakers frequent, according to Clemens.

Locals are bound by a code of Omerta not to cooperate with the authorities.

She added: “The rise of the mafia in Corsica is mostly related to the increase in tourism and the fact that the island is undergoing a huge expansion of summer residences. There is a lot of money to be made there and undoubtedly the gangs are colluding with people to get contracts they should not receive. When there is a public tender to build something, there are very strict rules. But the gangs will intimidate other builders telling them, do not bid for this because it’s for me. The punishment for denying them can mean death. When you have intimidation and people being too scared to speak because it’s a very small community, it’s hard for the police to take action..

“Most of the crimes, unfortunately, are not resolved. In France, we want our juries to be professional judges who can’t be bribed or intimidated – that’s one of the reasons these people are not in jail. The second important element is seizure and confiscation of their assets. Even going to jail, they don’t care, they do their business from jail. What is important to them is the money so we have to make sure their assets are seized and used for social projects.”

When you have intimidation and people being too scared to speak because it’s a very small community, it’s hard for the police to take action

Valerie Clemens

“We believe we have a lot to learn from the Italian authorities, who have had much more success in cracking down on organised crime.”

This month, former Corsican judge Hélène Gerhards was indicted on eleven charges, including influence peddling, embezzlement of public funds and criminal association.

She is suspected of having links with a supposed relative of the island’s “Petite Bar” gang.

Her crimes are alleged to have taken place between 2008 and 2022 and if convicted she could face 10 years in jail.

Those defending such cases might argue that opting not to cooperate with the mafia can result in an early death.

In June 2022, there was outrage when businessman and consular judge Jean-Christophe Mocchi, 55, was shot dead while having a drink with friends.

He was seated on the terrace of a bar in the town of Propriano when he was assassinated in cold blood. Eight bullet casings were found close to his body.

Blood-soaked history

Corsica’s bloody history stretches back to the 19th century when it was dominated by clans and rules of vendetta, which compelled people to seek deadly revenge whenever family honor was insulted.

Between 1821 and 1852, there were 4,300 murders perpetrated on the island.

In the 1960s, the Corsican mafia was a key part of the so-called ‘French Connection’ – a processing chain that shipped industrial quantities of heroin to the US via Marseilles.

The racket was broken up in the 1970s, but gangsters operating on the island continued to be involved in several illegal activities including hold-ups, racketeering, casinos, illegal slot machines, drug dealing and prostitution.

In 2013, the French interior minister Manuel Valls commented that despite being nicknamed the ‘Isle of Beauty’, violence is “rooted in the island’s culture.”

In 2022, the death of Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna in prison sparked riots in the streets and clashes between protestors and police.

Fabrice Rizzoli, the president of Crim’HALT anti-mafia group, claimed there are 24 gangs on the island, which were responsible for 20 murders and 10 attempted hits between 1995 and 2015.

He said: “Corsican organized crime is very powerful with 450 victims since 1990.”

“Some of them were innocent victims. For example in 2019, an honest retired man was killed because he had the same car as the gangster targeted.”

“The Corsica gang exerts a corruptible influence on police to get information, for example on investigations and license plates, and this enhances their power. For the first time, in 2024, a judge was in jail for corruption.”

However, Fabrice also admitted that some progress was being made.

He added: “In fact, state and civil society are combating this framework of corruption and organized crime.”

“They made some progress thanks to new laws inspired by the Italian anti-mafia system with a specialist service of judges, confiscating criminals’ assets.”

“One of the murders of the ‘Petit bars” gang was solved thanks to a criminal witness just after the law was amended.

“But we need to do more. In France, criminal confiscation isn’t not mandatory and the confiscation is still criminal and not civil confiscation.”

“The consequences of that is only 30 per cent of seized assets are definitely confiscated.”

“And there still is a lot of impunity for professional murder.”

But Gilles Simeoni, the president of Corsica’s executive council, has sought to downplay their power, much to the chagrin of campaigners who remain deeply concerned about their malign influence on the island.

Simeoni previously said: “Is there a mafia in Corsica in the sense of a Sicilian mafia, that’s to say a structured, pyramidical, military organisation, with strategic decisions and institutionalised among political and economic powers? Very sincerely, I don’t think so.”