Scampia feud

Last updated

The Scampia feud (Italian : La faida di Scampia) or First Scampia feud (Prima faida di Scampia) was a feud between the Camorra gangs in the Neapolitan quartiere of Scampia which broke out in 2004 and 2005. The fight was between the Di Lauro clan, from Secondigliano, and the so-called "secessionists" (Scissionisti di Secondigliano), a breakaway faction in the northern suburbs of Naples that tried to assert its control over drugs and prostitution rackets in the area. [1]

Contents

Paolo Di Lauro, head of the Camorra clan that runs the northern suburbs, was in charge of a tightly managed drug empire that imported cocaine and heroin and distributed it through an army of dealers. Di Lauro granted neighborhood ringleaders a certain amount of autonomy in exchange for the monopoly and cuts of the proceeds. He went into hiding on September 23, 2002, as authorities closed in. He left the business to Vincenzo Di Lauro, one of his ten sons. After the first arrest of Vincenzo on April 1, 2004, Cosimo Di Lauro took charge. [2] [3]

Cosimo Di Lauro wanted to centralize the drug-dealing operation that had been run as a franchise in which dealers paid the Di Lauros a fee for doing business and were allowed to buy the drugs from any available source. [3] The young Di Lauro removed older gangsters and replaced them with young criminals new to the business. In revolt, a faction now known as the "secessionists" challenged the Di Lauros in October 2004. One of the local dealers, Raffaele Amato, disputed the new rules, fled to Spain and organized a revolt against his former bosses. In Scampia, they are known as the Spaniards. On October 28, 2004, Raffaele Amato ordered the murders of Fulvio Montanino and Claudio Salierno, men who were fiercely loyal to Cosimo Di Lauro. During their funeral three days later, police arrested two men armed with machine guns who were planning to fire on the funeral procession. [3] [4] The two organizations fought each other with a brutality that stunned even hardened Carabinieri. [5] [ failed verification ]

On November 21, 2004, 21-year-old Gelsomina Verde was abducted and brutally tortured, probably in an effort to get her to disclose the whereabouts of her former boyfriend, Gennaro Notturno, a Scissionisti clan member. The two had broken up weeks prior to her abduction. She was shot three times in the neck and her body put in a car that was set on fire. [6] [7]

Her death caused widespread public revulsion and led to a major crackdown by the authorities. [1] The governor of the Campania region (of which Naples is the capital) Antonio Bassolino said: "This challenge must be met and the state must pay attention." Two days later, Home Secretary Giuseppe Pisanu dispatched 325 extra police to a city that already had a higher ratio of police to people than any other in the country. On the evening of December 7, 2004, an operation involving 1,500 police netted 52 suspected gangsters including Ciro Di Lauro. [1] [6]

His brother Cosimo Di Lauro was arrested on January 21, 2005, and the head of one of the rival organization, Raffaele Amato on February 26, 2005. [5] [8] On September 16, 2005, police arrested Paolo Di Lauro in a modest apartment in Secondigliano, on the city's poor northern outskirts. [9] [10] [11] He was sentenced to 30 years for drug trafficking. [12] Two weeks later Paolo Di Lauro publicly kissed Vincenzo Pariante – one of the bosses of the "secessionists" – during a session in court. Investigators interpreted the gesture as a sign that the feud had ended. However, murders continued into 2008.[ better source needed ] [13] Vincenzo Licciardi, the reputed head of the so-called Secondigliano Alliance was arrested in February 2008. He had been on Italy's most wanted list since July 2004. [14]

Second Scampia feud

The second Scampia feud (Italian: Seconda faida di Scampia) was an internal conflict in the criminal organization of the Scissionisti di Secondigliano which lasted from August 2012 until December of the same year, with some murders linked to the feud occurring from 2013 to 2014.[ citation needed ]

Author and journalist Roberto Saviano drew inspiration for his 2006 book Gomorrah from these events and they went on to lead to both the 2008 Italian movie, Gomorrah (Gomorra) and in particular the spin-off 5-season Sky Atlantic TV series Gomorrah (book).

Related Research Articles

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 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'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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scampia</span> Suburb of Naples, Italy

Scampia is a modern suburb in the far north of Naples, whose population is about 80,000. To its south are the suburbs of Piscinola, Miano and Secondigliano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paolo Di Lauro</span> Italian crime boss

Paolo Di Lauro is an Italian crime boss, leader of the Di Lauro Clan, a Camorra crime organization. He is also known as Ciruzzo 'o milionario among other aliases. In 2002 he was included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy and was captured in September 2005.

<i>Gomorrah</i> (film) 2008 crime film directed by Matteo Garrone

Gomorrah is a 2008 Italian crime drama film directed by Matteo Garrone, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Roberto Saviano, who also collaborated in the screenplay. It deals with the Casalesi clan, a crime syndicate within the Camorra — a traditional criminal organization based in Naples and Caserta, in the southern Italian region of Campania.

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.

Vincenzo Licciardi is the boss of the Licciardi clan, and one of the main leaders of the Secondigliano Alliance, a Camorra crime syndicate operating in Naples and the surrounding Campania region. His nickname is 'o Chiatto ("Fatso").

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 Licciardi clan is a powerful Neapolitan Camorra clan that operates in the remote areas of Naples, specifically in the Secondigliano district and its stronghold of Masseria Cardone. Its sphere of influence extends to Scampia, Chiaiano, Miano and San Pietro a Patierno.

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raffaele Amato</span> Italian Camorrista and head of the Amato-Pagano clan

Raffaele Amato is an Italian Camorra boss and head of the Amato-pagano clan, a Camorra clan from Naples. He is known by multiple nicknames in the Neapolitan criminal underworld, including "Lo Spagnolo", "'o Lell", "Lell o' chiatt'" and "'a vecchiarella".

Ketty Gabriele is a reputed Camorra figure. Gabriele, a femminiello and member of the Camorra, was reported as the first transgender mafia figure following an arrest by Naples police in February 2009. According to authorities, Gabriele is a small-time capo behind a drug and prostitution ring for the Scissionisti di Secondigliano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gelsomina Verde</span> Italian murder victim

Gelsomina Verde was a victim of the Camorra who was tortured and subsequently murdered during the Scampia feud in the city of Naples on 21 November 2004, aged 21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosimo Di Lauro</span> Italian mob boss (1973–2022)

Cosimo Di Lauro was an Italian Camorrista who was acting boss of the Di Lauro clan from Naples. Due to his flamboyant nature and passion for designer clothes, he earned the nickname "The Designer Don". Di Lauro is known by some as "o' Chiatto", and to journalists as the "prince regent".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Di Lauro</span> Italian Camorrista and Di Lauro clan member

Marco Di Lauro is an Italian Camorrista and member of the Di Lauro clan from Naples. After having been a fugitive for 14 years and been included on the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy, he was captured in Naples on 2 March 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cesare Pagano</span> Italian Camorrista (born 1969)

Cesare Pagano is an Italian Camorrista. Until his arrest in July 2010, he had been on the "most wanted list" of the Italian ministry of the Interior since March 2009, for Camorra association, international drug trafficking and other crimes.

The Secondigliano Alliance is a strategic alliance of Camorra clans in the Italian city of Naples and its hinterland, controlling drug trafficking and extortion rackets in many areas of the city since the 1990s. The Alliance has branches in the Netherlands and in Spain, with interests in international drug trafficking and money laundering.

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.

Raffaele Imperiale is an Italian criminal and a member of the Camorra. He is considered by the authorities as one of the most important drug traffickers affiliated with the Camorra. He was on the list of the most wanted fugitives in Italy until his arrest on 4 August 2021 in Dubai. In December 2022 it was noticed that Imperiale had become a "pentito", starting crown witness procedure.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Naples police in huge mafia swoop". BBC News . December 7, 2004. Archived from the original on August 13, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  2. ↑ Wilkinson, Tracey (February 17, 2005). "Gang's Deadly Feud Plagues Naples". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Williams, Daniel (February 7, 2005). "In Naples, a Mob Family Feud". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ Hooper, John (December 18, 2004). "Weekends turn bloody in Naples mafia war". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Fisher, Ian (September 17, 2005). "Italian Police Arrest Fugitive Crime Leader in Naples Gang War". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Popham, Peter (December 8, 2004). "'The blood is running': Mafia wars erupt again". The Independent . Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ (in Italian) Roberto Saviano sul delitto di Gelsomina Verde Archived December 31, 2008, at the Wayback Machine robertosaviano.it
  8. ↑ "'Naples crime boss' held in Spain". BBC News . February 28, 2005. Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  9. ↑ Fisher, Ian (September 17, 2005). "Criminal boss is captured in Italy". The New York Times .
  10. ↑ "Napoli, guerra per la droga a Scampia: Arrestato boss Di Lauro "o milionario"". la Repubblica (in Italian). September 16, 2005. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Napoli: arrestato il boss Paolo Di Lauro". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). September 18, 2005. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Giornata di sangue a Napoli: tre omicidi - Corriere della Sera". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). March 15, 2007. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Napoli, nuovo agguato di camorra ucciso esponente del clan Di Lauro". la Repubblica (in Italian). March 21, 2007. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Top Camorra boss nabbed in major blow to Naples crime gang". ItalyMag. February 8, 2008. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.