Camorra: Here's How the Courageous Entrepreneur Framed the Bosses of the Licciardi Clan

Naples – The courage of a Secondigliano construction entrepreneur allowed the State Police to deal a heavy blow to the extortion racket linked to the powerful Licciardi clan.

Thanks to his complaint, two alleged "tax collectors" ended up in prison, while a third, believed to be a prominent member of the Camorra, is currently wanted.

The handcuffs were snapped on Giovanni Napoli , 42, and Luca Gelsomino, 32, both of whom were subject to arrest warrants issued by the Naples Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office. Pietro Izzo , 59, known as "Pierino ," a well-known name in criminal circles and who, according to Camorra informants, is a leading member of the Masseria Cardone clan, escaped capture . Izzo has been missing for two days, but the search continues unabated.

The Nightmare Told by the Victim: From Veiled Threats to Explicit Requests

The courageous builder went on record to describe the nightmare he had fallen into, describing a veritable criminal escalation. It all began on June 8th, when the entrepreneur was approached by the alleged boss Izzo in a bar on Corso Secondigliano. "He said to me, 'You're really rude, you know that? What, you're doing work in the Gescal neighborhood and you didn't even come to introduce yourself? Don't you know it's polite to ask permission when you're doing work?'" the victim told investigators.

 The boss to the builder: “You are a bad boy, you didn’t show up”

From veiled threats it was a short step. The next morning, Napoli and Gelsomino showed up directly at the apartment where the company was busy with renovation work. The builder was summoned and received even more explicit warnings.

"The two," he explained to the police, "immediately approached me, and Napoli told me, 'No less, you're doing construction work at Gescal and Masseria Cardone, you're pocketing €40.000 and €70.000, and you haven't even come to us. You haven't behaved properly. Anyway, you have to give us a present because I recently got out of prison and we're broke. You have to give us €5.000 for the work you're doing at Gescal.'" After negotiations, the clan agreed to lower the demand.

The following day, the entrepreneur handed over a thousand euros with the promise of paying the same amount at the end of the month. The situation escalated last Sunday, when Gelsomino, according to the arrest warrant, approached the victim in a threatening tone: "Are you kidding us? You're sending us to buy salt. Are you going to give us this money or not? So we have to stop your work? We don't have to let you work anymore?"

The lightning investigation was conducted by the Organized Crime section of the Flying Squad (led by director Leuci) and by the investigative team of the Secondigliano Police Station (led by director Pintauro).

The two alleged torturers are now in the Secondigliano prison awaiting the validation hearing. The charge formulated by the Dda is extortion aggravated by the mafia method and purpose.

The circle isn't closed yet, however, with the third suspect still on the run. Meanwhile, the alert remains high in Secondigliano, a neighborhood that has seen an escalation of criminal incidents in recent weeks, from "knockings" for protection money to the recent attack that nearly destroyed the Picardi bakery . The investigation into these incidents is about to enter its climax, and a new wave of arrests could soon halt this escalation of violence.