Naples – A blow to organized crime in the heart of Scampia . This morning, the State Police executed an order issued by the preliminary investigations judge of the Court of Naples, at the request of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate ( DDA ), which ordered the pre-trial detention of two people and house arrest for a third suspect.
The three are accused of attempted extortion aggravated by mafia methods, an operation that targets alleged affiliates of the Amato-Pagano clan , a historic criminal organization active in the Neapolitan neighborhood and in the province of Caserta.
The investigation, coordinated by the Naples Anti-Mafia Directorate and conducted by the Naples Flying Squad in collaboration with the Scampia Police Station, reconstructed an extortion incident that occurred last April.
According to reports, the suspects allegedly showed up at a car wash in Scampia, a well-known neighborhood business, in an intimidating manner. The suspects, already known to the victim as members of the clan, allegedly arbitrarily claimed ownership of the business, demanding to meet the owner.
They wanted to bring the owner of the car wash before the boss
The mafia script was repeated in a second meeting, during which the alleged extortionists upped the ante, demanding that the victim show up at the car wash at a pre-arranged time.
The goal? To bring the owner before their boss, who, according to the threats, would demand the handover of the business keys and the removal of the owner from management. Thanks to the prompt action of the State Police, the investigation allowed them to reconstruct the events.
Video surveillance footage proved crucial, providing key evidence to identify the perpetrators and document their actions. The operation concluded with the arrest of the three suspects and a further blow to the clan: during a search of the home of one of the offenders, officers found and seized a semi-automatic pistol with ammunition, strengthening the hypothesis of a structured criminal network.
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What happened in Scampia is a very serious event. Organized crime continues to cause damage, and more controls and security are needed to stop these situations. We hope the police can do more in the future.