Salvatore Roselli, aka Frizione, a collaborator with justice, is today one of the most significant voices in reconstructing the structure and internal dynamics of the Amato-Pagano clan in a recent phase of its criminal history.
Arrested on September 4, 2020, for kidnapping for extortion, Roselli decided to cooperate with justice on February 1, 2023, while he was detained in Lanciano prison.
During his interrogations, the former clansman admitted to personally managing drug trafficking in the areas of Sette Palazzi and Chalet Bakù, two historic strongholds of Camorra power in the northern part of Naples. Investigators note that "Sette Palazzi" refers to a large area near the Vele di Scampia neighborhood, bordered by Via Galimberti, Via Zuccarini, and Via Labriola, while "Chalet Bakù" refers to the area between Via Fellini, Via Germi, and Via Bakù.
The decision to collaborate and the first reactions
Roselli's decision to repent didn't go unnoticed. A few days after the announcement, investigators intercepted a conversation between Carlo Calzone—believed to be one of the clan's contacts in Mugnano—and the sister of an inmate.
The two men contemptuously commented on the estrangement of Frizione's family, making explicit reference to his daughter Sofia. This detail, according to the magistrates, confirms the genuineness and depth of his repentance.
Roselli's credibility, moreover, has already been recognized in two separate rulings by the Naples preliminary hearing judge, who granted him the special mitigating circumstances provided for collaborators with justice in Article 416 bis.1, paragraph 3, of the Criminal Code.
“A difficult choice, between two families”
During his interrogation on February 20, 2023, Roselli described the difficulty of his decision: torn between his wife, who initially opposed him, and his new partner, who instead encouraged him to cooperate, while maintaining a cover for security reasons.
The informer explained that he operated in the Sette Palazzi—now more of a symbol than an active drug dealing hub—and in the area of Highway 167, where drug sales remained active. The so-called "mesate," the clan's monthly contributions, were collected in Mugnano and distributed by Maurizio Pone, along with Roselli himself and Alessandro De Cicco. Currently, according to his statements, De Cicco, Pone, and Luigi Diano, known as Cicciotto, are still operating in the Sette Palazzi.
The “reserve” rule
Roselli then described the internal structure of the clan, explaining how, after a long period of power vacuum due to numerous arrests, the Amato-Paganos chose to maintain a "reserve" of trusted men from within the family, ready to step in in the event of further raids.
Prominent members attended operational meetings but avoided direct contact with members of other clans, adhering to a strict confidentiality strategy. This practice was also observed, according to Roselli, by Raffaele Teatro—Valentina Amato's husband—and, later, by Gennaro Liguori, considered one of the group's new leaders.
Liguori, the repentant explained, never exposed himself directly, leaving figures such as Antonio Pompilio and Enrico Bocchetti at the forefront.
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The squares of Mugnano and Melito
The collaborator then outlined the clan's business operations: in Mugnano, he specified, the drug dealing centers were managed by private individuals, a deliberate choice by the organization, given that many members lived in the municipality and they wanted to avoid excessive exposure.
The situation was different in Melito, where the clan directly controlled the square in Rione 219, managed by Giuseppe Siviero and a man known as Topolino, and the square known as "Coscia e Borrelli," under the direction of Maurizio Grandelli and Maurizio Errichelli. According to Roselli, Errichelli himself had replaced Vincenzo Nappi as the area's manager.
Internal struggles and the De Cicco case
In March 2023, Roselli identified in a photo Alessandro De Cicco, known as 'o Gettone, brother of Gennaro De Cicco 'o Polacco, Debora Amato's ex-husband. The informer recounted that in 2018, Debora Amato sent him to Mugnano to get her ex-brother-in-law away from Melito, where she no longer wanted to see him.
Shortly after, 'o Polacco — detained in Asti — reportedly asked that Debora's new companion be “taught a lesson,” a request that Roselli refused, in line with the opinion of Marco Liguori, who preferred to wait for the Amato brothers' release.
The rules and the new chain of command
During the April 5, 2023, interrogation, Frizione described the clan's current structure: for each area—Mugnano, Melito, Scampia, and Sette Palazzi—there are direct contacts who answer to the Amato-Pagano family. After the arrests of Marco Liguori and Fortunato Murolo, the regency passed to Antonio Pompilio, later joined by Gennaro Liguori and Enrico Bocchetti.
Roselli also recalled an episode in 2020, when Pompilio suggested he follow him to Spain to establish contact with a hashish supplier, after a deal with the Marano clans went sour. From that moment on, the Amato-Paganos allegedly established direct channels for purchasing hashish, while cocaine remained through Raffaele Imperiale, the drug lord linked to the Amato clan.
The collaborator finally described the "golden rule" introduced by Marco Liguori: whoever left prison had to remain in the shadows, maintaining contact only with operational leaders such as Pompilio, Bocchetti or 'o Pinguino Imparato, in charge of the months.
Lower-ranking members were not supposed to know who was really in charge. Thus, leading figures like Raffaele Teatro and Gennaro Liguori himself operated behind the scenes, continuing to issue orders while remaining formally invisible.
A strategy of silence and confidentiality—confirmed by Roselli's account—which still today represents one of the distinctive traits of the new organized Camorra in the northern area of Naples.
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Comments (1)
The article details the situation of Roselli and the clan, but it's unclear how this information will actually impact the fight against crime. It would be interesting to have more data on how authorities react to these revelations.