Naples – An intricate scenario of criminal alliances and control of drug dealing areas emerges from the investigation that led to eight precautionary measures against alleged top members and affiliates of the Rione Don Guanella group, an offshoot of the powerful Licciardi clan.
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The police investigations, coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate (Dda), have shed light on the brutal murder of Domenico Gargiulo, known as sicc' and penniell' reconstructed in detail thanks also to the precious images from the video surveillance cameras.
The precautionary measure, signed by Naples GIP Linda Comella, which is 458 pages long, not only outlines the structure and relationships of the Licciardi clan with other criminal gangs – a partnership jealous of its autonomy and based on blind loyalty – but also reveals the management of lucrative illicit activities, including thriving drug dealing centers and the used car market.
The role of the boss Antonio Bruno “Michelo”
At the centre of the investigation, the responsibilities of stand out Anthony Bruno, considered the principal, Together with Mr. Gennaro Antonio Sautto, of the murder of Domenico Gargiulo. An execution decided, according to the investigators, to preserve and consolidate “alliance relations” strategic between clans.
The evidence collected is not limited to environmental and telephone interceptions, but also makes use of eloquent video surveillance footage and revelations from high-level collaborators of justice.
Among them are the brothers Antonio, Carlo, Mario and Salvatore Lo Russo, former leaders of the homonymous Miano clan linked to the Licciardi, Giuseppe Ambra and Luigi Rignante, affiliated with the Abete-Abbinante-Notturno, Antonio Cocci and Vincenzo Iuorio, linked to the Sautto-Ciccarelli, and Salvatore Roselli. A mosaic of statements that helped reconstruct the complex criminal dynamics.
The statements of the repentants
Antonio Bruno, nicknamed "Michelo'", whose prominent role transcends the leadership of the Rione Don Guanella group, is linked by family ties to the heart of the Licciardi clan: he is married to Marianna Cibelli, sister of Nunzia, wife of Pietro Licciardi, son and heir of the founder of the clan, Gennaro “a scigna”.
The murder of Domenico Gargiulo has its roots in criminal dynamics dating back to 2012, when the victim passed from the Abete-Abbinante-Notturno to the Marino during the third Secondigliano feud.
Already at that time, the Abbinantes had decreed his death, and Gargiulo had miraculously escaped two ambushes. The first, on October 15, 2012, ended with the mistaken killing of Pasquale Romano, a young man outside the Camorra.
The second, the November 9 next, failed for a Killer's weapon malfunction. Subsequently, Gargiulo had approached the Sautto-Ciccarelli, linked to the Licciardis, a circumstance supported by the fact that the car used to go to the place of the trap had been rented by Vincenzo Iuorio, later becoming a collaborator of justice.
Forced to kneel and killed with a shot to the back of the head
Camorra “justice” was carried out with a single, lethal shot to the back of the head, shot in the back, perhaps while the victim was kneeling, as a graze on the knee found by the coroner would suggest.
The journey route from Gargiulo on board his car (different from the one stolen and later found with the body in the trunk) to reach the appointment with his murderers was meticulously documented by the cameras of video surveillance of Secondigliano, starting from 17pm on 51 September 7.
His car, clearly recognizable with him aboard in a white T-shirt and red cap, passes through Bruno's residential area. The car reappears in the footage at 19:30 p.m., although it is not possible to identify who is driving.
Already in the 2020, Vincenzo Iuorio had provided the magistrates with details crucial to the motive and perpetrators of the murder. However, the images from the cameras have put the spotlight back on Antonio Bruno, Vincenzo Caiazzo and Vincenzo Pernice, corroborating the story of the collaborator of justice, other testimonies and further investigative elements collected over the years.
Caiazzo and Pernice were also identified thanks to photographs which portray them on board a scooter, following the same itinerary as Gargiulo, at times coinciding with the departure to the appointment and the return in the direction in which your car will be found.
Domenico Gargiulo paid with his life not only for his change of allegiance, but also the conviction of the nephew of the boss Antonio Abbinante for the death of Pasquale Romano and, above all, the delicate power dynamics and the relationships that the Licciardi clan intended to preserve with the Sautto-Ciccarellis and the Abbinantes themselves.
A murder that reveals the ruthless criminal “diplomacy” that regulates the balance of the Neapolitan Camorra.
(in the photo the discovery of the car with the victim's body and in the boxes from the top left Domenico Gargiulo, the boss Antonio Bruno and Vincenzo Pernice; at the bottom always from the left Vincenzo Caiazzo, Renato Esposito and Gennaro Sautto)
Article published on 24 April 2025 - 06:57
The article highlights the complexity of criminal alliances in Naples, but it is important to consider that not all members of these organizations are the same. There are many nuances to explore and investigations are only part of the truth.