| Founded | 1990s |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Giuseppe Polverino (Peppe 'o barone) |
| Founding location | Marano di Napoli, Italy |
| Years active | 1990s-present |
| Territory | Various districts of Naples in Campania. Strong presence in several cities of Spain and Morocco |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, money laundering, racket, bribery, arms trafficking |
| Allies | Nuvoletta clan Orlando clan Mallardo clan Lubrano-Ligato clan (defunct) Licciardi clan Cosa Nostra |
The Polverino clan is a Neapolitan Camorra clan operating in the town of Marano di Napoli. The clan is present also in Villaricca, Quarto, Pozzuoli, Qualiano and in the district Camaldoli of Naples (place of origin of the Polverino family). Outside Italy, the clan has a strong presence in Spain, in particular in Barcelona, Málaga and Alicante. [1] According to the investigations, the Polverinos are considered the successors of the Nuvoletta clan. [2]
The organization was founded by Giuseppe Polverino, known as "Peppe 'o barone" in the 1990s. The clan started as a ramification of the Nuvoletta clan, but has become independent and one of the most powerful groups of the Camorra over the time, surpassing the Nuvolettas that in 90s were going through a very difficult time, thanks to the large efforts of the Italian police to overthrow the organization. [3] Taking advantage of these years, Giuseppe had to start building his own clan, managing to bring to him, emerging members of the Camorra from Marano such as the Simioli and Ruggiero families. [4]
Giuseppe Polverino, was dubbed the 'hashish king', due to his monopoly on the importation of hashish from Morocco to Italy via Spain supplying not only all the Camorra clans, but also the 'Ndrangheta, the Sicilian Mafia and the Sacra Corona Unita. [5] The Polverino clan had a monopoly of the hashish trade since 1992 until 2009. According to one of the pentitos of the clan, Domenico Verde, the hashish was cultivated in the region of Ketama, and arrived by mules in the beginning, but later was modernized and accessible on trucks and cars. [6]
According to the authorities in Spain, the Polverino clan is the most powerful Camorra clan acting in the country, due to the number of people they have installed and because of the potential of their structure. Among the cities with great influence of the organization are: Alicante, Tarragona, Málaga and Cádiz. [7]
The clan is known to have a good relationship with the Cosa Nostra families from Palermo. [8]
A true lover of poker, women and the good life, Giuseppe Polverino's personal fortune is over 1 billion euros. [7] Polverino has a great entrepreneurial capacity, investing in the tourism-hotel sector in Italy and Spain, one of the top money launderers of the clan was Luigi Esposito, that according to reports, was able to quadruple the money of the organization. Esposito, who for a long time was a trusted member of the Nuvoletta clan, started working for the Polverino clan, and was arrested in September 2019. [5] [9]
Giuseppe Polverino was arrested on March 6, 2012 in an apartment in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain and extradited to Italy after two months. [10] [11] After his arrest, Giuseppe Simioli, his right-hand man, had taken the reins of the organization, but was also arrested in July 2017 for mafia association, drugs and arms trafficking. [12]
In 2019, relatives of top members belonging to the clan claim three million euros to the Spanish State of compensation after their relatives were acquitted by the National Court of the crime of money laundering for which they were arrested in 2013 and tried in 2016. Among the assets seized were six yachts, two Ferrari Testarossa, one Lamborghini, one Harley-Davidson, bank accounts and real estate. The plaintiffs are all relatives of the late Giuseppe Felaco, who was allegedly an important member of the Polverino clan based in the Canary Islands, they assure that this Spanish police operation against their family has been a great economic damage, apart from a moral damage. [13]
On May 29, 2019 Raffaele Vallefuoco, an important member of the organization, was arrested in the Rabat region in Morocco. Vallefuoco is considered one of the biggest drug traffickers in Italy and was included on the list of the 50 most wanted fugitives. [14]
Also in 2019, the Italian police with the cooperation of the Spanish police, arrested two members of the clan, who belonged to a major transnational organizational structure, created by the Polverinos, based in Valencia and Naples, that between 2001 and 2012 imported hashish from Morocco via Spain to arrive in the Campania region. [15] [16]
On December 6, 2019, Silvano Pennino and Nicola Di Nuzzo, two important drug traffickers working for the clan in Spain, were released from jail. According to the investigations, Pennino and Di Nuzzo were specialized particularly in the hashish trafficking. [17]
On December 11, 2019, Giuseppe Polverino and Giuseppe Simioli were sentenced to life imprisonment. They were held responsible for the murder of Giuseppe Candela, happened in July 2009. According to the investigations, Candela, who was a member of the Polverino clan, was killed because he was managing his business independently, and no longer responding to the clan. [18]
On May 26, 2020, 16 people belonging to the clan were arrested in an investigation by the DDA (Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia), including the alleged current leader of the clan, Vincenzo Polverino. [19]
On June 5, 2020, the Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia seized €10 million of assets from the clan. Among the seized assets were two villas, two garages, two warehouse-depots, six commercial premises, three plots of land, a school building and a nursery. [20]
The Camorra is an Italian Mafia-type criminal organization and criminal society originating in the region of Campania. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 17th century. The Camorra's organizational structure is divided into individual groups also called "clans". Every capo or "boss" is the head of a clan, in which there may be tens or hundreds of affiliates, depending on the clan's power and structure. The Camorra is considered by the Italian Government to be the most violent and murderous criminal organization in Italy. The Camorra's main businesses are drug trafficking, racketeering, counterfeiting, and money laundering. It is also not unusual for Camorra clans to infiltrate the politics of their respective areas.
The Di Lauro clan is an Italian crime clan, part of the Camorra in Naples. The clan operates in the neighbourhoods of Secondigliano, Scampìa, Miano, Marianella, Piscinola, and in the adjacent municipalities of Casavatore, Melito, Arzano, Villaricca and Mugnano. At its peak, between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s, the organization was earning more than €500,000 a day from the sale of drugs alone, making Secondigliano the largest open-air drug market in Europe. The founder of the clan is Paolo Di Lauro, from Via Cupa dell'Arco, in Secondigliano.
Antonio Bardellino was a powerful Neapolitan Camorrista and boss of the Casalesi clan, having a prominent role in the organized crime in the province of Caserta during the 1980s. He was one of the last of the old-style Camorra godfathers.
The Lo Russo clan was a Neapolitan Camorra clan operating on its territory within the city of Naples, concentrated specifically in the area of Miano, whose control extended throughout numerous neighborhoods in the north of the city for more than three decades. Since the fall of all the Lo Russo brothers, and the numerous arrests of most of its affiliates, the organization is considered overthrown.
The Nuvoletta clan was a powerful Neapolitan Camorra clan operating from the town of Marano di Napoli, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Naples, southern Italy. The Nuvolettas belonged to a new style of Camorra, one that had the dimensions of a large corporation, and considered much more entrepreneurial. The clan was affiliated with several Sicilian Mafia families and was considered one of the most powerful Camorra clans between the 1970s and 1990s, however, since the death of its historical leaders and the large number of arrests and seizures made by the Italian police, the clan was succeeded by the Polverino and Orlando clans, both families with great degree of kinship with the Nuvoletta family.
The Contini clan is a powerful Neapolitan Camorra clan operating in the city of Naples, and more specifically in the area of the Naples Central Station. The clan's traditional powerbase is the Arenaccia district. It also operates in the Poggioreale, Vasto, Mercato and San Carlo all'Arena suburbs of Naples. The clan is also active outside Italy, particularly in Barcelona, Spain, in Amsterdam, Netherlands and in Eastern Europe. The Contini clan is also one of the founding clans of the Secondigliano Alliance, which is considered by the authorities as the most powerful Camorra group that is still active.
The Mallardo clan is a Camorra clan operating from the town of Giugliano in Campania, north of the city of Naples. The Mallardo clan is also one of the clans that belongs to the Secondigliano Alliance, that is considered by the authorities as the most powerful Camorra group that is still active.
The Scissionisti di Secondigliano or Amato-Pagano clan is a Camorra clan from the Secondigliano district of Naples, headed by Raffaele Amato and Cesare Pagano. They are also known as "Spagnoli" (Spaniards) because of their strong presence in Spain, particularly in Costa del Sol and Barcelona.
The Russo clan is a Neapolitan Camorra clan operating in the town of Nola and its surrounding territories. Police say the Russo clan had total control over illegal activity in about 40 towns in the Naples region.
Luigi Esposito, also known as Celeste ("Sky-blue"), is an Italian criminal and a member of the Neapolitan Camorra.
Lorenzo Nuvoletta was the head of the Nuvoletta clan, a Neapolitan Camorra organization that operated from the town of Marano di Napoli, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Naples. Nuvoletta was considered one of the most powerful bosses in the entire Camorra from the 1970s to the early 1990s.
Renato Cinquegranella is an Italian criminal and a member of the Camorra. Cinquegranella is on the "List of most wanted fugitives in Italy" of the ministry of the Interior.
The De Luca Bossa clan is a Neapolitan Camorra clan operating in the eastern suburbs of Naples, and more specifically in the area of Ponticelli and in the municipality of Cercola.
The Mazzarella clan is a Campanian Camorra clan operating in the city of Naples. The clan is historically considered one of the most powerful groups of the Camorra.
The Giuliano clan was a powerful Neapolitan Camorra clan that had its base in the area of Forcella, in Naples. Its sphere of influence extended to all the centre of the city of Naples for over four decades.
The Rinaldi clan is a Camorra clan operating in the area of San Giovanni a Teduccio, in the eastern area of the city of Naples. Since 2019 the clan has formed an alliance with the Ponticelli's De Luca Bossa clan, and Barra's Aprea-Cuccaro clan, called by the media Rinaldi-De Luca Bossa-Aprea, which has emerged as the most powerful Camorra group in the eastern region of Naples.
The Aprea-Cuccaro clan is a Camorra clan operating in the area of Barra, in the city of Naples.
Ciro Mazzarella was a historical Italian Camorrista, known in the media as the "king of cigarette smuggling", founder of the Mazzarella clan and was one of the last remaining leaders of a bygone era of the Camorra.
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