The District Anti-Mafia Directorate's major operation, which led to the arrest of 44 people, didn't just uncover crimes and acts of intimidation. It revealed the workings of a Camorra that had learned to speak little and have a strong impact, using more elegant, almost "managerial" methods, without renouncing—when necessary—the power of psychological control.
The 461-page precautionary order signed by investigating judge Isabella Iaselli, at the request of prosecutors Henry John Woodcock and Vincenzo Toscano, details how a careful, invisible, and calibrated system operated in the municipalities of Nola, Cicciano, and Casamarciano.
A system in which the Russo clan of Nola, a historic Camorra group in the area, had built a network of influence capable of reaching municipalities, technical offices, election campaigns, even suggesting the sale of land linked to the Curia.
There are 62 people under investigation and among them there are also leading members of the Licciardi clan of the Masseria Cardone in Secondigliano, historically linked to the Russo-
The votes that are never given away
The story begins a long time ago, with a silent pact that, according to investigators, influenced the latest elections in Cicciano and Casamarciano. An unwritten and undeclared pact, but one that was sufficient to determine the composition of some of the city councils.
As explained by Major Andrea Coratza, commander of the Investigative Unit of Castello di Cisterna: "Some candidates who had accepted the economic agreement with the clan in exchange for votes... were elected."
The logic was simple: aspiring councilors—even from different political parties—would accept the Russos' electoral support.
No direct meetings with the top brass. No photos. No risky handshake.
Everything passed through trusted intermediaries, local men, “middle-of-the-road” people who knew how to balance promises and requests.
A wiretap collected by investigators describes the climate well: "Those people have to remember who gave them their vows... then when we need a hand, they have to give it, without any fuss."
Not necessarily illegal favors. Sometimes, easier access was enough, a process that "flowed" a little faster, a willingness not to hinder certain projects.
The result?
In Cicciano, some of those candidates were elected in the majority.
In Casamarciano, others joined the opposition.
The clan had no political affiliation. It had interests.
The power of the whispered word
The true face of control emerges in the story of the engineer, director of the Technical Office of the Municipality of Nola. A woman accustomed to deciphering documents, building permits, and zoning regulations, a professional who, one day, finds herself confronted by a former city councilor, now under house arrest, who, according to the prosecution, was speaking on behalf of the clan.
The man wasn't yelling. He wasn't threatening. He wasn't displaying any weapons. Yet his words carried a heavy weight. "Be careful what you do..." The sentence was included in the investigation documents.
It had been addressed to her to "advise" her - or so he put it - to handle more smoothly some building practices which, coincidentally, were of interest to the Russos.
The engineer had the courage to report it. The only complaint received in the entire investigation. Major Coratza said it clearly: "In a seemingly peaceful area, no entrepreneur reported extortion... The clan was cleaning up, raising the bar with more sophisticated activities." The threat was no longer the bullet. It was the phrase uttered with a half-smile.
The new Camorra: graduate, elegant, invisible
The Russo clan isn't just a story of violence. It's, especially today, a story of transformation. Part of the organization—the oldest—remains tied to traditional logic: territorial control, traditional extortion, and physical presence.
But a new faction, led by the young engineering graduate, Mihele Russo, 44, known as "Michelino," son of Russo Salvatore Andrea, who was sentenced to life imprisonment along with the clan's other historic founder, Russo Pasquale, father of Russo Antonio, born in 79, was changing the paradigm. No more explicit requests for money. No more direct threats to business owners.
The new method was more subtle: the engineer was hired by a professional firm, entered into commercial relationships, imposed consultancy, projects, and intermediations.
As a conversation intercepted by investigators recounts: "If he comes to the works, everyone will be more relaxed... they know who he is." There was no need to explain further.
The surname was like a calling card.
The entrepreneurs accepted. Not because they were intimidated, at least not openly, but because in such a territory the unwritten rule applied: it's better to have the clan on your side than against you.
The Curia and the “addressed” terrain
The investigation even touches the ecclesiastical world, through a significant episode.
According to investigators, an employee linked to the Curia of Nola recommended the sale of a piece of land to a company favored by the clan, thus guiding the negotiations.
An episode that does not indicate direct complicity on the part of the Curia, but which shows how the Russo network was capable of placing its hand even in unsuspected places.
As Major Coratza stated: “The Curia, too, indirectly paid the price of the clan’s methods.” Another piece of a silent, underground power, yet capable of reaching everywhere.
The words of the Army's commands
General Biagio Storniolo, provincial commander of the Carabinieri of Naples, summarizes the entire investigative process as follows:
"It's a Camorra that controls all local activities. It infiltrates business, the economic fabric, real estate, sales, and gambling. A Camorra that's growing."
Lieutenant Colonel Paolo Leoncini, commander of the Castello di Cisterna Group, adds an important detail: "We saw an advanced Camorra, capable of operating with sophisticated methods. The investigations required advanced information technology."
Investigators have combined wiretaps, digital monitoring, cross-referencing of data on financial movements, and analysis of telephone calls and meetings. A modern snapshot of a modern mafia.
A silent territory: the power of self-censorship
The final question is perhaps the most bitter: Why didn't anyone report the crime? Investigators explain it clearly: The clan no longer demanded extortion. They didn't plant bombs. They didn't fight. They offered "solutions," "intermediation," and "help."
And so a perverse equilibrium was created: entrepreneurs accepted, professionals avoided disruptions, administrators sought "useful collaborations," everyone thought they were doing nothing serious.
But it was precisely that silence that fueled power. In the Agro Nolano of the modern Camorra, no one considered themselves a victim. And that's how you become complicit without realizing it.
Today, after 44 precautionary measures, the Russo network suffered a very hard blow.
But the investigations reveal a reality that does not disappear with the arrests.
The Camorra that doesn't shoot, that doesn't shout, that imposes itself not through violence but through convenience, is much more difficult to eradicate. The real battlefield now is the ability of institutions and citizens to avoid returning to silence.
Because the Agro Nolano, beneath its apparent calm, has demonstrated one thing: sometimes the greatest danger is not the clan that threatens, but the one that whispers.
List of Investigators (Measures Other than House Arrest)
ABBATIELLO Paolo, born in Naples on 08.05.1966
ALLA Endri, born in Tirana (Albania) on 22.09.1999
ALFIERI Andrea, born in San Gennaro V.no (Na) on 04.02.1970
AMBROSINO Antonio, born in Vico Equense (Na) on 27.10.1967
AMMIRATI Mario, born in Nola (Na) on 12.11.1990
BARBARINO Aniello, born in Roccarainola (Na) on 08.01.1969
BARBARINO Sabato, born in Naples on 12.06.1990
BIANCARDI Pasqualino, Nola (Na) on 15.07.1973
BIONDI Antonietta, born in Pomigliano d'Arco (NA) on 04.04.1991
BOLOGNINO Giovanni, San Paolo Bel Sito (Na) on 02.02.1977
BUONOCORE Salvatore, born in Naples on 16.06.1980
CARANDENTE SICCO Francesco, born in Naples on March 18, 1988
CARELLA Luigi, born in Naples on 30.07.1972
CARELLA Francesco Pio, born in Naples on 03.01.2002
Cava Salvatore, born in Nola on May 23, 1984
CAVEZZA Domenico, born in Nola (Na) on 09.10.1991
COPPOLA Gennaro, born in S. Giuseppe V.no (Na) on 29.09.1988
COSTANZO Pasquale, born in Naples on 10.07.1992
COSTANZO Salvatore, born in Naples on 03.08.1975
DI TELLA Giuseppe, born in Capua (CE) on 12.02.1971
DE CAPUA Sebastiano, born in Camposano (Na) on 25.05.1957
DE LUCIA Giacomo, born in Ottaviano (Na) on 08.03.1974
D'ELIA Sabato, born in Naples on 05.11.1991
DELLA Pietra Leonardo, born in San Paolo Bel Sito (Na) on 22.04.1988
DE MARIA Giovanni, born in Naples 18.03.1993
ESPOSITO Felice, born in Nola (Na) on 21.10.1984
GALLUCCI Antonio, born in Nola (Na) on 10.03.1957
GALLUCCI Leonardo, born in Nola (Na) on 19.01.1986
LICCIARDI Antonio, born in Naples on 10/02/1995
LICCIARDI Gennaro, born in Naples on March 11, 1990
LOMBARDI Rosina, born in Nola (Na) on 26.06.1984
MAIELLO Mario, born in Castellammare di Stabia (Naples) on 11.12.1984
MATURO Francesco, born in San Giuseppe V.no (Na) on 22.05.1970
MAZZOLA Giovanni, born in Atripalda (AV) on 22.08.1987
MOCCIA Antonio, born in Cercola (Na) on 20.01.1983
NAPPI Gennaro, born in San Giuseppe V.no (Na) on 21.11.196
PARISI Giuseppe, born in Naples on 22.07.1970
PEZONE ALESSIO, born in Naples on March 28, 2000
ROMANO Giovanni, born in Naples on 23.06.1976
RUSSO Antonio, born in San Gennaro V.no (Na) on 01.01.1979
RUSSO Michele, born in Avellino on 24.05.1981
RUSSO Paolino Felice, born in S. Paolo Bel Sito (Na) on 25.04.1980
SAPIO Salvatore, born in Naples on 12/17/1978
SCALA Attilio, born in San Paolo Bel Sito (Na) on 19.10.1979
SICONDOLFI Carmine, born in Nola (Na) on 13.03.1973
SILVANO Domenico, born in Pomigliano D'Arco (Na) on 09.08.1975
STEFANILE Giuseppe, born in Naples on 07.12.1964
TUFANO Francesco, born in S. Giuseppe V.no (Na) on 07.01.1985
VAIANO Paolino, born in S. Gennaro V.no (Na) on 10.11.1985
ZOPPINO Fabio, born in Naples on 03.03.1980
ZOPPINO Ferdinando, born in Naples on 01.09.1978
House Arrest
BERNARDO Antonio, born in Maddaloni (CE) on 22.12.1972
CACCAVALE Giuseppe, born in Cicciano (Na) on 29.02.1956
CAMERLINGO Salvatore, born in Naples on 26.09.1975
FICO Santo, born in Cercola (NA) on 18.08.75
FURINO Umberto, born in Nola (NA) on 11/14/1969
IOVINO Michele, born in Avellino on 04.06.1974
LANZARA Giovanni, born in Nola (Na) on 23.10.1957
MANZI Andrea, born in Casamarciano (NA) on 17.08.1960
MASCOLO Carlo, born in Cicciano (Na) on 20.12.1955
NAPOLITANO Antonio, born in Avellino on January 19, 1982
NAPOLITANO Daniele, born in Avellino on 30.09.1983
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