Salerno- A mafia-based usury and extortion scheme rooted in four provinces of Campania was dismantled this morning by the Salerno Anti-Mafia Investigative Directorate.
Sixteen people were arrested on charges of running a criminal ring that primarily engaged in usurious loans and extortion, using the Camorra's methods and intimidating power.
The operation: a blitz in four provinces
The raid, launched at dawn this morning, involved members of the Salerno DIA Operations Section in the provinces of Salerno, Naples, Avellino, and Potenza. The operation was coordinated by the Salerno Public Prosecutor's Office (DDA), which obtained a detention order from the judge for the 16 suspects.
The crimes: usury and extortion aggravated by mafia methods
All those arrested are held responsible, to varying degrees, for the crimes of usury and extortion aggravated by mafia methods.
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The structure: an inter-provincial criminal network
The DIA investigation reconstructed the connections between the organization's various members, highlighting how they operated in a coordinated manner across different provinces. This criminal network exploited the Camorra's territorial penetration to impose its control over entrepreneurs and citizens experiencing economic hardship.
The victims: entrepreneurs and citizens in difficulty
Investigations have uncovered numerous cases of victims forced to give in to loan sharks' demands. These were mostly struggling entrepreneurs or individuals who, in times of hardship, had resorted to illegal loans, only to find themselves trapped in a spiral of unpayable debt.
This morning's operation represents a significant blow to the loan sharking system in Campania, a particularly insidious phenomenon that often hides behind a facade of "solidarity" only to later transform into a deadly form of blackmail.
The sixteen precautionary measures carried out demonstrate the commitment of law enforcement to combating not only the most egregious Camorra crimes, but also those criminal activities that suffocate the legal economy and civil society.
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