When Elia Cancello reenters the prison gates in May 2021, the Camorra in Scampia is no longer the same. The old balance has been shattered, the drug dealing hubs change hands every month, and the clans—now exhausted by arrests and feuds—are seeking a truce.
But no one, between San Pietro a Patierno and the Sette Palazzi, would ever have imagined seeing Cancello and Gaetano Angrisano, boss of the Vanella-Grassi, sitting at the same table.
And yet it happened.
Raffaele Paone, alias Rafaniello, the former Vanella man turned collaborator with justice, recounts this. According to his statement dated November 19, 2024, it was Angrisano himself who granted Cancello freedom of movement in Lotto G, one of the clan's historic fiefdoms, "as long as he didn't open drug dealing centers."
An unthinkable, symbolic gesture, which marked the end of years of suspicion and bloodshed.
The ghost of "Ciopetta"
The wound, however, had never healed. Behind the peace signed between the two bosses, the shadow of the murder of Francesco Angrisano, known as Cioppetta, Gaetano's brother, still loomed. His death was unclear.
For years, within the Vanella-Grassi clan, it was believed that Elia Cancello, along with his brother Maurizio, had ordered the attack. "We were convinced it was them," says Rafaniello. "There had been disagreements between Elia, then a fugitive, and Francesco. Twenty years of hatred can't be erased with a lunch."
Yet, when Cancello was released from prison, Angrisano welcomed him as an ally, not an enemy. A gesture that shocked even many of his associates.
A truce of convenience
The peace between the two was not born of forgiveness, but of necessity. In 2021, the Vanella-Grassi clan was under pressure: a series of arrests, kidnappings, and betrayals. Stability was needed in Scampia and Secondigliano, and Cancello—a key figure in the Amato-Pagano clan, respected and feared—represented a potential ally, not a rival.
Angrisano knew this well. And in true Camorra fashion, he chose the most effective course: welcoming his old enemy and signing a "territorial peace."
According to investigative sources, it was an agreement that allowed both families to maintain their own territories without sparking new wars. Cancello would control his men in Lot G, without interfering with the historic squares of Vanella. In exchange, the Angrisanos guaranteed him protection and respect.
The internal cracks
But not everyone in Vanella approved that decision.
Alessio Angrisano, Gaetano's brother, considered the deal a surrender. "He is disappointed by his brother's behavior," investigators noted in their reports.
For many of the clan's young people, seeing a former rival walking free in Lotto G was tantamount to a provocation.
The coexistence between the two worlds—that of the Cancello family and that of the Angrisano family—lasted only thanks to the iron-clad mediation of the leaders. But beneath the surface, a constant tension simmered, ready to explode at the first slight.
The direction of the Amato-Pagano
Behind it all, like a constant shadow, remained the Amato-Paganos, the “Spaniards” of Secondigliano, silent directors of every criminal equilibrium.
Elia and Maurizio Cancello were just one of the many pawns of that empire, and their tolerance in Lotto G responded to a larger plan: to avoid a new war between Scampia and Secondigliano.
It was, in short, a strategic peace, not a sentimental one. A fragile truce, supported by silence and expediency, destined sooner or later to break.
Epilogue of an impossible peace
“The relationship between them is good now,” concludes Rafaniello.
It might interest you
Arzano, Puc: The positive opinion is just an illusion. Councilor Luigi De Rosa's attack
Naples, "Mergellina is untouchable": the former president of the Environment Commission opposes the expansion.
"Radio On the Road" is born in Forcella: the street voice of Naples' youth.
A change at the helm of Naples' prisons: Marcello moves to Secondigliano, Russo moves to Poggioreale.
Because in the Camorra, peace never erases memory. The suspension of hostilities is merely a pause, a truce between two wars.
And in Lot G, that truce—however long—has always had the bitter taste of suspicion.
Nanduccio's Kingdom: The Seven Palaces and Loyalty to the Amato-Pagano Family
In the criminal mosaic of Scampia, every block has a name, a story, a master.
And the Seven Palaces—that enormous concrete block dominating the neighborhood—have always been a symbol. A stronghold, a laboratory of Camorra power, a microcosm where the clans' ambitions, the poverty of the neighborhoods, and the ruthless logic of drug trafficking intertwine.
Raffaele Paone, alias Rafaniello, is the new voice within the Camorra who began speaking to magistrates in May 2024, once again revealing who was pulling the strings.
His words paint a clear picture: in the Seven Palaces, the name that counted was that of Ferdinando Cifariello, known as Nanduccio.
The "pupil" of the Amato-Paganos
“Nanduccio was a protégé of the Amato-Pagano clan,” Rafaniello explains in the reports, “and in particular of Enzo Notturno.” He was no ordinary man: Cifariello managed the drug trade under the supervision of the clan’s local regent, Luigi Diano, known as Cicciotto.
A system that operated with military discipline. The drug dealing areas were organized in shifts, the doses were sealed and numbered, and lookouts were stationed along the corridors of the buildings. Every entrance was a checkpoint, every balcony an observation tower.
Nothing entered or left the Seven Palaces without the consent of Nanduccio or his men.
The Scampia model
Rafaniello's statements confirm something investigators have known for years: the Amato-Paganos have transformed Scampia into a model for criminal management.
No longer a chaotic occupation of the territory, but a "corporate" control of the squares, where everything—from the price of cocaine to the wages of pushers—is regulated by strict rules.
Cifariello embodied this new understanding of power. Not a killer, but a drug trafficking manager. Someone who knew how to negotiate with suppliers, manage shifts, get the goods delivered, and, above all, keep the peace.
Because in a neighborhood where gunshots can be heard every night, the real strength is not those who kill, but those who manage to make everyone gain without starting a war.
The Long Shadow of Enzo Notturno
The name Enzo Notturno, the historic boss of the Amato-Pagano clan, often crops up in the stories of informants. He's the point of reference for men like Cifariello, the guarantor of alliances and the guardian of the clan's interests in "mixed" territories like Scampia.
“He was the one who protected Nanduccio,” Rafaniello explains, “the Amatos considered him trustworthy, someone who brought in money and respected the rules.”
Thanks to this protection, Cifariello managed to make the Sette Palazzi squares prosper even during periods of greatest tension with the Vanella-Grassi groups.
The Seven Palaces, a laboratory of power
Today, the Seven Palaces are no longer just a drug dealing site: they are a symbol of the Camorra's resilience. Every time a police operation hits the network, the system reassembles itself, with new faces and new hierarchies.
It is the beating heart of a parallel economy that continues to move millions of euros every year.
In this scenario, figures like Nanduccio Cifariello represent the link between the old and the new Camorra: the one that shoots and the one that invests, the one that commands in silence.
Rafaniello's story, between truth and memory
Investigators consider Rafaniello's words "genuine and coherent," but also deeply imbued with experience. It is the memory of a man who grew up in a world where power is a language, and where loyalty is more valuable than fear.
And in his words, we catch a detail that tells it all: "Nanduccio was respected by everyone. Not because he was scary, but because he brought in money and never betrayed anyone." A perfect portrait of the new Camorrista of Scampia: less flashy, more dangerous.
2. continue
(In the photo, from top left, Gaetano Angrisano, Alessio Angrisano, Francesco Angrisano, and the repentant Raffaele Paone. At the bottom, again from left, Elia Cancello, Maurizio Cancello, Ferdinando Cifariello, and Enzo Notturno)
Comments (1)
The topic of the article is truly interesting, but many things are unclear. The Camorra in Scampia is a complex issue, and I believe it's important to clarify what happened with Elia Cancello and the clans. I hope more information is available.