Camorra, the boss Zullo ordered extortions from prison: 4 arrests

Salerno– They also ran usury and extortion from prison, thanks to cell phones smuggled behind bars. This morning the State Police executed a custodial order in prison against four alleged members of the Zullo clan, active in Cava de' Tirreni, in the Salerno area.

The provision, issued by the investigating judge of the Court of Salerno at the request of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate, charges the recipients with the crimes of usury and extortion aggravated by the mafia method.

At the center of the investigation is Vincenzo Zullo, a leading member of the group and already definitively convicted of mafia association. Despite his detention, Zullo - according to the investigators' reconstruction - continued to exercise control over part of the clan's criminal activities, giving orders via cell phones illegally introduced into the penitentiary.

Extortion of a trader and "pizzo" on drug dealing

In particular, the investigation documented an extortion of a merchant from Cava de' Tirreni, forced to return - under threat - a loan granted years before at usurious rates. But not only that: the investigations revealed that Zullo had also imposed the payment of a bribe to the managers of a drug dealing square in the Santa Lucia district of the Metelliano municipality. A real racket imposed from prison, with the collaboration of other affiliates operating in the area.

The latter, investigators explain, had the task of transmitting intimidating messages to the victims and, above all, of collecting the sums of money and then sending them to the imprisoned boss. The investigations - also conducted through wiretaps, seizures and searches - confirm, once again, the ability of the clans to continue managing their criminal interests even from prison, thanks to a well-tested network and technological tools introduced illegally.

The Zullo clan and its presence in Cava de' Tirreni

The operation of the Zullo clan in Cava de' Tirreni has already been recognized by previous sentences. The action of the DDA aims to dismantle a system that, according to the prosecution, is based on the continuous intimidation of the territory and the capillary management of extortion. The four arrested are now at the disposal of the judicial authorities.