Naples, "The country is ours and the work is ours," threats to the Kuwait land reclamation contractor.

Naples – "How dare you speak badly of me? You come from Sarno and want to work in Kuwait, but we are from Ponticelli. The country is ours and the job is ours. I've been in the plant for twenty years and we don't want you here, leave everything and go away."

With these words, uttered in a threatening tone, the 57-year-old entrepreneur Salvatore Abbate, known as Totore 'a Cachera, allegedly tried to intimidate the owner of a company involved in the reclamation of the former Kuwait industrial area, on the eastern outskirts of Naples.

The person who uttered them was not just any competitor, but – according to investigators – a man connected to the De Micco clan of Ponticelli, already involved in a 2021 investigation into Sma Campania which led, among others, to the arrest of a former police officer from the local police station.

Abbate, among other things, was stopped on the eve of a trip abroad with his family. Perhaps he had "sniffed" something and decided to get a change of scenery. But he didn't have time.

The courageous entrepreneur and the complaint that triggered the investigation

The recipient of the threats, Aniello Buonaiuto, director of Vera Ecologia Srl, refused to budge. He reported the incident to the police, sparking an investigation that, after months of investigations, led to Abbate's arrest yesterday, which was confirmed by investigating judge Carla Bianco.

The investigation by the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office, coordinated by prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, has reconstructed a complex picture of Camorra pressure and attempts to influence a multi-million dollar contract: the reclamation of the former Kuwait area, a deal worth approximately 150 million euros.

The origin of the report and suspicions about the network of interests

It all began on April 4, 2024, when the then general director of the ASL Napoli 1 Centro, Ciro Verdoliva, received a formal notification.

Buonaiuto, in fact, had reported "some critical issues encountered by inspectors and officials of the Ponticelli district Occupational Health Office."
His company was ready to participate—as part of a temporary consortium—in the Kuwait cleanup operations, on behalf of Greenthesis Spa, the lead contractor. Vera Ecologia was responsible for the most delicate phase: removing and securing asbestos from the still-contaminated soil.

But for the Sarno entrepreneur, that project quickly turned into an ordeal of intimidation, pressure, and bureaucratic roadblocks.

The tale of terror: "You have to get out of the way."

According to the complaint filed by Buonaiuto on April 30, 2025, the story took a dramatic turn in March of the previous year.

"On January 31, 2024," he told prosecutors, "we formalized a subcontracting agreement for the collection and bagging of 16 tons of material containing asbestos, at 45 euros per ton."
While the construction sites remained inexplicably at a standstill, a second company, traceable to Abbate through an alleged front man, obtained approval for the work plan in record time.

On March 28, 2024, during a meeting at the ASL offices on Via Pietro Ammendola, the entrepreneur was invited by an inspector into an adjacent room. Abbate himself was there waiting for him.

The tone is immediately intimidating: "You don't have to work here, go away. I served ten years in prison and I don't care about people like you."

Extortion: the “offer” to withdraw from the contract

The final act of the attempted extortion took place on January 24th.
Abbate contacts Buonaiuto via WhatsApp and meets him at a bar on Via Vespucci, in the center of Naples. This time, the tone seems more conciliatory, but the substance remains the same.
"He urged me not to sign the final contract with Greenthesis," Buonaiuto said, "adding that if I withdrew, he could increase his offer to 47 euros per ton."

The entrepreneur refused, deciding to move forward despite the threats. Shortly thereafter, however, local health authority inspections revealed alleged safety irregularities, prompting the construction site to be suspended.

Abbate arrested before leaving for abroad

When investigators track him down, Abbate is about to leave for a trip abroad with his family. The 57-year-old is arrested and taken to prison, charged with attempted extortion aggravated by mafia methods.

Preliminary Investigating Judge Carla Bianco upheld the order, deeming the evidence gathered by the District Anti-Mafia Office to be well-founded.

The investigation, which continues to develop, now aims to clarify the links between the pressure Buonaiuto suffered and the De Micco criminal network, historically rooted in Ponticelli and the eastern area of ​​Naples.

A million-dollar business under threat

The cleanup of the former Kuwait site represents one of the largest and most sensitive environmental projects in Southern Italy. A €150 million project that—according to investigators—has attracted business and criminal interests willing to do anything to secure the contracts.
Buonaiuto's complaint marks a turning point: for the first time, a business owner in the sector has decided to speak out, helping break the silence surrounding a system of pressure and collusion that has hindered the redevelopment of the industrial area for years.