The Caivano and Melito gang, specialized in robberies of armored vehicles with weapons, arrested yesterday by the Carabinieri, was unaware that the Alfa Romeo SW used by Andrea Falco, the leader, had a wiretap that recorded conversations. Also arrested along with Falco were his relative Andrea Falco, 38, Caivano; Vincenzo Graziano, 45, Melito; Liborio Castaldo, 47, Caivano; Antimo Grazioso, 54, a former footballer from Caivano, previously implicated in other investigations into robberies of armored vehicles; Andrea Russo, 56, known as "o' pitaffio" (the "pitaffio"), Caivano; Giuseppe Massaro, 62, Caivano Parco Verde; and Pietro Brillante, 66, all held in Poggioreale prison. For the other two members of the gang, investigating judge Nicola Emilio Paone of the North Naples court ordered Vincenzo Mariniello, 46, of Caivano, and Francesco Castaldo, 56, (brother of the deceased former local Camorra boss Pasquale Castaldo, better known as "Pasqual 'o Farano," who was killed during the Second Camorra War by the group led by Domenico La Montagna, aka "Mimì 'o Cuoco," an ally of the Acerra group led by Antonio Di Buono, aka "Mezarecchia," and the Moccia family of Afragola) to remain in residence. An eleventh member, Antonio Mormile, was reported at large, but investigating judge Erminio Paone of the North Naples court deemed the evidence against him insufficient. All those arrested are charged with alleged crimes ranging from criminal conspiracy to commit robberies, including robberies of armored vehicles, committed with the use of weapons and illegally acquired vehicles. They also include residential burglaries and jewelry store break-ins, one of which was successful, the others only attempted.
The robbery of an armored vehicle of a security transport company, carried out in December 2016 along the provincial road of Caivano-Acerra, framed all the members of the gang of armored vehicles. On that occasion, at least seven men, of Italian origin, armed with pistols, rifles and a Kalashnikov, all with their faces covered after having attacked the van carrying armored vehicles, managed to get hold of only 20 thousand euros, failing because they had spent too much time in the assault on the very resistant internal safe of the vehicle, which contained the sum of one and a half million euros in cash. The investigations conducted by the operational unit of the Casoria Carabinieri company and coordinated by the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Francesco Cirillo, started immediately, allowed the investigators, thanks to the analysis of the video surveillance systems and the testimonies of those present, to take the investigative lead that led to those arrested yesterday, and at the same time to ascertain that the members of the criminal association were busy gathering information to better plan the robberies to be carried out. Among the many thefts carried out by the gang to finance the purchase of weapons of war to be used in the robberies, the most singular was the theft of an olive tree, an important plant that was given to one of them who planted it in the garden. Too bad that on this occasion too they were discovered and reported, proving to be beginners.
EDITORIAL TEAM
Choose the social channel you want to subscribe to