Naples, Contini clan hit: 15 arrests after Gioele Lucarelli was injured

NNaples – Fifteen people were arrested this morning, May 29, 2025, as part of a major State Police operation coordinated by the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate.

The arrests were carried out pursuant to a precautionary custody order issued by the Review Court, which accepted the appeal of the Prosecutor's Office after a previous partial rejection by the investigating judge.

The defendants are seriously suspected, to varying degrees, of mafia-type association, association for the purpose of drug trafficking, carrying and possession of weapons, aggravated assault and various episodes of drug possession and dealing, all aggravated by the mafia method.

Camorra, the Mazzarella-Alleanza feud and the 20 murders of 1997 July 28, 2025 - 06:40

The contested conduct would have facilitated the activities of the Contini clan, a historic Camorra cartel of the Secondigliano Alliance.

The investigation, conducted by the Flying Squad, started with the gunshot wounding of Gioele Lucarelli, which occurred on September 20, 2021. According to investigators, the ambush would have matured within the so-called "Stadera group", an offshoot of the Contini, in a context of strong internal tensions and struggles for leadership.

Lucarelli, in fact, allegedly attempted to break away from the original faction to create an autonomous group but still linked to the mother clan. The new association allegedly sourced drugs from both environments linked to Scampia and the Connolo area, in Poggioreale, choosing the most economically convenient suppliers each time.

The group, active in drug trafficking and dealing, operated in the area of ​​the so-called “Cittadella”, between Naples and Casoria, but also supplied stable drug dealing areas in the neighborhoods of Ponticelli, Secondigliano and even in the city of Avellino.

The investigations also documented the availability of firearms and the group's willingness to further arm itself in view of possible clashes with rival factions.

Already on June 20, 2024, 30 arrests had been made in connection with the same investigation, but on that occasion the investigating judge had excluded the existence of serious evidence for the crime of mafia association and for the attempted murder of Lucarelli, as well as the mafia aggravation for other charges.

Following the appeal by the Prosecutor's Office, the Review Court has now overturned that decision, issuing a new custody order which was carried out at dawn today.