Naples Mafia Crackdown: Six Arrests and Three Residency Bans Target Contini Clan
Naples, May 5 – Six individuals have been arrested and three issued with residency bans in Campania as part of a major police operation led by the State Police and coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Naples. The operation targeted a group believed to be organically linked to the powerful Contini clan, a key component of the ‘Alleanza di Secondigliano’.
The detainees are all repeat offenders, seriously suspected, in various capacities, of mafia-type association, drug trafficking, robberies, muggings, scams against the elderly, threats, injuries, possession and carrying of firearms, and the use of phones by prisoners. These crimes are aggravated by mafia methods and the aim of facilitating the clan’s activities.
Investigations Stem from Violent 2022 Incident
This measure is the culmination of a complex investigative activity coordinated by the Neapolitan anti-mafia prosecutor’s office and developed by the Mobile Squad. The investigation originated from a particularly violent episode that occurred on the night of May 15, 2022, in the historic center of Naples.
That night, in Via dei Tribunali, an enduro motorcycle without a license plate, traveling at high speed, struck Veronica Arancibia Carrasco, the girlfriend of Raffaele Del Gaudio, owner of the ‘Cala la Pasta’ restaurant, as she was serving tables outside the establishment. The young woman fell into a coma. An Argentinian tourist, Carlos Bertossi, was also seriously injured in the same incident.
Retaliation After the Collision
The driver of the vehicle fled on foot after the fall. However, within minutes, the scene was occupied by a group of individuals who, identifying themselves as members of the ‘system,’ attacked and threatened the restaurant owner, Raffaele Del Gaudio, his brother, and others present. Their aim was to prevent a police report and recover the motorcycle to erase any evidence.
The intimidation was explicit: death threats, promises of armed retaliation, and even threats of bombings against the premises. Argentinian tourists who intervened to help were also targeted, assaulted with thrown tables and chairs.
Previous Convictions and Expanded Investigation
For that initial episode, four people were arrested in June 2022. Subsequent investigations broadened the scope, revealing the existence of a structured criminal group composed of young affiliates of the Contini clan, operating between the Vasto-Arenaccia and San Carlo Arena areas.
Among the names emerging in the investigation are Gennaro Vitone, 21, believed to be the driver of the motorcycle involved in the collision; Patrizio Bosti, nephew of the boss of the same name and son of Ettore Bosti, a leader of the Contini clan; Giorgio Marasco, 19; and Luigi Capuano, 34, arrested in Valencia after 34 days on the run, found with false documents and planning to move his family to Spain.
High Danger Posed by Suspects
According to investigators, the criminal association had its logistical base in the area known as the ‘Porticati’ in San Giovanniello, where weapons, drugs, and clothing used for disguises during criminal actions were hidden.
The group, led by a young man with family ties to high-ranking clan members detained under the 41-bis regime, is believed to have been involved in a wide range of illicit activities, including robberies, muggings, and scams against the elderly, committed both within Italy and abroad, particularly in Spain.
Investigators emphasize the ‘high danger of the suspects, inferable from the unscrupulousness of their conduct and the availability of weapons, including war weapons, as well as the constant search for new armaments to consolidate territorial control and confront rival groups.’
On the judicial front, a definitive conviction has already been issued for those primarily responsible for the 2022 assault.
Source: https://napoli.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/26_maggio_05/camorra-sei-arresti-e-tre-divieti-di-dimora-nel-mirino-il-clan-contini-indagini-partite-dall-aggressione-a-cala-la-pasta-5e2d5bde-1f63-4e9f-b3bb-bf07d79faxlk.shtml
