Camorra, Romano was eliminated by his friend 'Cicciariello' Russo at the behest of Riccio and Cerrato

Yesterday, the Naples Flying Squad executed a precautionary custody order for two suspects, issued by the investigating judge at the Court of Naples, at the request of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate, against those believed responsible for the murder of Mirko Romano, which occurred in Melito on December 3, 2012. The investigation, based on statements from collaborators with justice, wiretaps, and a wealth of evidence, has allowed the reconstruction of the instigator and perpetrator of an internal purge murder, decided by the leaders of the Amato Pagano clan to eliminate one of the gang's leading figures. Mirko Romano, who joined the clan at the height of the Second Scampia Feud, had become the bosses' favorite killer. He was known within the clan as "the Italian" because he always spoke correctly in Italian, never in dialect. This set him apart from other members. These characteristics, combined with his icy calm, composure, and lack of arrogance toward younger members, made him a character with a singular history. An efficient and ruthless killer, during the heated months of the so-called third Scampia feud (autumn 2012), Romano saw his relationship with the clan leaders deteriorate due to his growing intolerance for the impositions of Mariano Riccio and Carmine Cerrato. His open criticism of their management, his ability to make independent decisions, and above all, the prestige he enjoyed among many members, quickly made him "unreliable" and therefore dangerous, because, if arrested, he could have collaborated with justice, or even become the leader of another fringe of secessionists. Mariano Riccio and Carmine Cerrato then decreed the death of Mirko Romano. The assignment was carried out by Francesco Paolo Russo, known as “cicciriello”, son of Ettore Russo, a well-known member of the Cesarano clan of Pompeii who had long since moved to Scampia, an emerging killer whom Romano trusted, as the young Russo had long been among the men closest to the victim. Romano was lured into a trap and killed by Russo, his body then abandoned on the side of the road where it was found by the Carabinieri on the morning of 3.12.2012. From that moment on, Russo became Riccio's go-to killer as well as being responsible for the drugs sector. His friend's betrayal temporarily placed Russo at the top of the gang, in an ephemeral arc that ended first with his marginalization by Riccio, always suspicious of emerging figures, and then with his arrest.