Naples, Anti-Camorra Blitz: 19 Precautionary Measures and 20 Seizures

On the morning of Wednesday 26 June, by delegation of the Prosecutor of Republic of Naples, we inform you that the State Police implemented the order of application of the precautionary custodial measure, issued by the GIP Office of the Court of Naples, at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Naples, District Anti-Mafia Directorate, against 16 subjects deemed, in various capacities, seriously suspected of mafia-type association, murders, injuries, explosions of gunshots in a public place, port and possession of common and war weapons, extortion and possession of narcotic substances, committed to facilitate the Lo Russo clan and with the aggravating circumstance of the mafia method.

The investigative activity conducted, from February 2021 to 2022, by the agents of the Flying Squad of the Naples Police Headquarters, “Captured” section, and the Commissariat Scampia State Police, with the assistance of the Perugia Flying Squad and the State Police Stations of Giugliano and Anzio, made it possible to collect evidential elements regarding its existence, structure and operation of the Scognamiglio and Pecorelli criminal groups, both branches of the Lo Russo clan who, with extreme ferocity, they competed for leadership in the Neapolitan neighborhoods of Miano, Chiaiano, Piscinola and Marianella.

La conflict between the two factions has caused enormous social alarm by virtue of the numerous murders and so-called murders, registered in the disputed territories and listed below:

• The murder of Milano Savior, historical belonging to the Lo Russo Clan, which occurred on April 22, 2021;
• The murder of Avolio Antonio, which occurred on June 24, 2021;
• The wounding of DiCaprio Salvatore, which occurred on June 10, 2021;
• The attack committed on 29.03.2021 to harm of some employees of the Monaldi Hospital in Naples, after “a military incursion” in the hospital, carried out through a compliant employee and for reasons related to the buying and selling of jobs in favor of individuals close to the clan;
• The extortion of the owner of a bar in the Miano district occurred in August 2021;
• The seizure of the clan's arsenal of common and war weapons;
• Explosions of gunshots in public places, carrying and possession of weapons common and war in relation to the provisions of 10.06.2021, 16.06.2021, 17.06.2021, 8.07.2021, 9.08.2021.

These last episodes, in particular, they were also found thanks to the ballistic comparison activity carried out by the Naples Scientific Police Department that has confirmed the correspondence between the weapons seized from the clan and the shell casings found during some of the aforementioned raids.

At the same time, soldiers of the Carabinieri, of the Operational Nucleus of the Naples Vomero Company, have implemented the same precautionary measure against 3 subjects deemed, for various reasons, seriously suspected of mafia-type criminal association and homicide aggravated by mafia methods and facilitation.

The investigations conducted by the Naples Vomero Operational Unit starting from the year 2020 allowed us to ascertain the continuing bond between the leading elements of the Cifrone group, disjointed from previous precautionary measures, and the new recruits of the emerging and opposing groups Scognamiglio and Catone-Pecorelli, the latter direct heir of the Cifrone family.

The investigative activity, Furthermore, allowed us to identify, between recipients of the precautionary measure, one of the subjects participated in the Camorra-style murder of Milano Savior, occurred through the explosion of 7 gunshots, two of which to the face and the remaining to the back of the head.

Simultaneously with the execution of the aforementioned measures, the GICO (Organized Crime Investigation Groups), of the Economic and Financial Police Unit of Naples and the Central Investigative Unit of the Penitentiary Police of Rome, in collaboration with SCICO(Central Organized Crime Investigation Service) and with the Capodichino Company of the Guardia di Finanza, they executed an emergency preventive seizure decree from the Public Prosecutor's Office of Naples – District Anti-Mafia Directorate against 20 individuals under investigation for extortion, usury, money laundering, fraudulent transfer of values ​​and issue and use of false invoices, aggravated by the mafia method and from the facilitative purpose of the Lo Russo clan.

The investigative activity would have made it possible to ascertain how he was a top individual of the aforementioned association, although imprisoned since 2010 following a life sentence for murder, continued to issue directives to affiliates to continue to collect the proceeds of extortion activities useful for the development of the organization.

The aforementioned subject would have, Furthermore, secretly managed three companies and a sole proprietorship carrying out leather wholesale, bar, laundry and road haulage activities, as well as a recreational club, conveying from prison, directives aimed at the reuse of illicit capital both in the companies of which he was a hidden partner, both in movable and immovable property fictitiously registered to third parties, as well as in luxury watches also purchased abroad (Dubai) with cryptocurrency payments. Finally, thanks to a notable availability of cash, he would have granted loans at usurious rates to entrepreneurs in difficulty demanding its restitution with a mafia method.

On these bases, were subjected 8 properties, 12 plots of land, 5 business complexes were seized, 2 cars, 1 moped and 90 financial reports with an estimated value of approximately 8 million euros.

The measure carried out is a precautionary measure, ordered during preliminary investigations, against which appeals are permitted, ei recipients of the same are people subjected to investigations and therefore presumed innocent until a final sentence is reached.