Naples – The blitz that led to the return to prison of the boss Oscar Pecorelli, known as o' malomm, a leading member of the Lo Russo clan, began at dawn today in Sion, Switzerland, where he had taken refuge.
Article Key Points
The man, who has been on the run since June, was arrested today in Sion, thanks to a joint operation between the Italian State Police and the Swiss Cantonal Police.
Pecorelli, 45, was wanted as part of a vast investigation coordinated by the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate. The charges against him are very serious: mafia association, murder, extortion and possession of weapons.
The investigators were able to reconstruct in great detail the operations of the Lo Russo clan and its affiliates, involved in a bloody feud for control of the territory.
The capture of little sheep It represents a hard blow for the criminal organization, but the investigations continue without stopping to completely defeat the gang.
Last June, the District Anti-Mafia Directorate carried out a blitz against 17 individuals believed to be responsible, to varying degrees, for mafia-type association, murder, assault, firing of gunshots in a public place, carrying and possession of common and war weapons, extortion and possession of narcotics, committed to facilitate the Lo Russo clan and with the aggravating circumstance of the mafia method.
The investigative activity, conducted by the operators of the "Catturandi" Section of the Naples Flying Squad and the Scampia Police Station, in collaboration with the Central Directorate of the Criminal Police, the Service for International Police Cooperation and the Central Operations Service, had allowed the collection from February 2021 to 2022 of evidence regarding the existence, structure and operation of the criminal groups Scognamiglio and Pecorelli, articulations of the Lo Russo clan; the same, with extremely ferocious criminal actions, including several murders, competed for leadership in the Neapolitan neighborhoods of Miano, Chiaiano, Piscinola and Marianella.
The armed clash, the murders, the shootings and the extortions
The conflict between the two factions had caused enormous social alarm, as mentioned, by virtue of the numerous murders and shootings recorded in the disputed territories and listed below:
• The murder of Milano Salvatore, a historic member of the Lo Russo Clan, which occurred on 22 April 2021;
• The murder of Avolio Antonio, which occurred on June 24, 2021;
• The injury of DiCaprio Salvatore, which occurred on June 10, 2021;
• the attack committed on 29.03.2021 against some employees of the Monaldi Hospital in Naples, following a "military raid" on the hospital, carried out by a compliant employee and for reasons related to the buying and selling of jobs in favor of individuals close to the clan;
• the extortion of the owner of a bar in the Miano district which took place in August 2021;
• the seizure of the clan's arsenal of common and war weapons;
• The firing of gunshots in a public place, carrying and possession of common and war weapons in relation to the provisions of 10.06.2021, 16.06.2021, 17.06.2021, 8.07.2021, 9.08.2021.
And today, following intensive and continuous investigations coordinated by the Naples DDA and carried out by the Investigative Offices, after approximately 7 months on the run, Pecorelli was arrested pursuant to a European arrest warrant, awaiting extradition to Italy.
Article published on 24 January 2025 - 18:10
