Camorra, Deborah Amato is the new boss of the Scissionisti clan

Deborah Amato, 34, has been indicated by the Anti-Mafia District Directorate of Naples as the new leader of the Amato-Pagano clan, taking over from her mother, Rosaria Pagano, currently detained under the 41bis regime. Together with her, her husband, Domenico Romano, Gennaro Liguori (relative of a well-known member of the clan), Enrico Bocchetti and Emanuele Cicalese were involved in the management of the clan.

In this morning's raid by the DDA, 53 precautionary custody orders were executed, 43 of which in prison. Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri underlined a particularly significant aspect of this investigation: the leading role of women within the clan. "The preeminence of women at the top is an increasingly evident element, even if not entirely new in the Italian mafia panorama," Gratteri declared.

The investigations also revealed a particularly cruel extortion method. The Amato-Pagano clan imposed on merchants and entrepreneurs in the north of Naples bribes proportional to their turnover, as if they were real taxes.

Bribes imposed on traders and entrepreneurs based on turnover

Even small artisans and painters were victims of these extortion demands. In particular, the construction sector, especially in relation to tax bonuses, was heavily affected.

The central head of the DIA, Michele Carbone, explained that the clan used intimidation and silence to force victims to pay. In addition to extortion, the members are accused of money laundering, receiving stolen goods and drug trafficking. This last crime, in particular, is fundamental for the clan, which, thanks to a vast network of contacts in Spain and Dubai, manages to control the flow of narcotics.