The 'two-headed' Ferrara-Cacciapuoti clan from Villaricca, a municipality in the hinterland of Naples, has historically been part of the Camorra cartel known as the Nuova Famiglia (New Family) along with the Nuvoletta clan from Marano di Napoli and the Casalesi clan.
It is connected to the Corleone wing of Cosa Nostra and militarily opposed to the Nuova Camorra Organizzata, led by the late Raffaele Cutolo.
Over the years, the structures and the way of operating have changed and the Villaricca clan has increasingly developed its entrepreneurial vocation in the construction, catering, food marketing and, in particular, hydrocarbons sectors.
A severe blow to the Ferrara-Cacciapuoti clan was dealt at the beginning of last June when the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza, coordinated by the DDA, notified 19 arrests. The clan, it emerged, developed a rich business volume, as demonstrated by the 'business' of the eleven seized companies - 16 million a year - but also by the high standard of living of its affiliates.
To understand this, it is enough to cite a wiretap included in the investigation documents, in which one of the bosses, Francesco Ferrara, recalled a luxurious holiday in Sardinia dating back to 2010 which cost him between 80 and 90 thousand euros.
“However, that year,” Ferrara adds, “I earned a million and a half.” Luigi Cacciapuoti is considered a top figure in the Camorra organization, which boasted excellent relationships, including business ones, with high-ranking criminal federations such as the Secondigliano Alliance and, as mentioned, the Casalesi clan.
Relationships in which the only thing that matters is business. And nothing must interfere. In addition to entrepreneurship, the Villaricca clan also managed drug trafficking, extortion and had a significant supply of weapons.
In fact, while the investigations highlighted that the Ferraras were in charge of the business, the Cacciapuotis were instead delegated to take care of the military wing.
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