Major operation against the Fezza-De Vivo clan: 88 people investigated between Salerno and Naples, seizures and charges of drug trafficking, extortion, and weapons of war.

A joint operation by the Salerno Flying Squad and the Territorial Department of the Carabinieri of Nocera Inferiore led today to the execution of two precautionary orders against 88 Guests, among which three minors, considered to be linked to the clan in various ways “Fezza-De Vivo” of Pagans.

According to what emerged from the investigations coordinated by the Salerno District Anti-Mafia Directorate and by the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, 79 suspects were placed under pre-trial detention in prison and 9 under house arrestAt the same time, the Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza of Salerno has carried out a urgent preventive seizure decree of assets attributable to the suspects, deemed disproportionate to their declared income.

The accusations

The defendants, who are presumed innocent until a final sentence is reached, are charged with very serious crimes:

• mafia-type association;
• trafficking and dealing of narcotic substances;
• attempted murder;
• extortion aggravated by mafia methods;
• recycling and self-laundering;
• illegal possession and carrying of war weapons;
• theft and receiving of high-powered vehicles.

The charges are aggravated by the use of the mafia method and by territorial control purposes.

The Fezza-De Vivo clan: power and violence in the territory

Pagani confirmed itself as the operational hub of the clan, which exercised its dominion above all through the control of drug dealing areas and the imposition of “monthly bribes” to other criminal groups.

The gang, already hit by previous investigations (25 precautionary measures in December 2022), had gone through a phase of internal reorganization after the arrest, in August 2023, of the last free top boss, Vincent ConfessorThe investigations have allowed us to document the clan's ability to rebuild your structure, to incorporate new talent and, above all, to assign a central role to the women of the group, who managed the common fund, distributed the illicit proceeds to prisoners and oversaw the laundering of capital.

Drugs, weapons and international relations

From the online investigations conducted with the support of the French authorities (European Investigation Order) it emerged that the clan used encrypted chats to organize drug trafficking with supplies coming from South America, Spain and the Netherlands.

In a few months they would have been moved:

• 600 kg of hashish,
• 100 kg of marijuana,
• 35kg of cocaine.

At the same time, the clan had a real arsenal, with Kalashnikov rifles, Skorpion and Uzi submachine guns, as well as a thousand rounds of ammunition and bulletproof vests. A secret hideout was discovered and seized.

Extortion and car theft

Another sector under the control of the clan was that of the theft and recycling of high-powered cars, thanks also to advanced technologies to tamper with the electronic systems of the latest generation cars. The use of the so-called “return horse”, that is, the return of stolen vehicles for payment.

The reaction of the institutions

Today's operation, which involved dozens of law enforcement officers, helicopters and dog units, has been defined as a a very hard blow to the Camorra organization rooted in Pagani and also active in the neighboring municipalities of the provinces of Salerno and Naples.

According to investigators, the intervention represents a fundamental step towards restoring safety to citizens and stemming the clan's attempts to expand its illicit business beyond local borders.