Major drug raids in Salerno, Naples, and Avellino: cocaine and crack ring busted

Naples – Major anti-drug operation by the Carabinieri between the provinces of Salerno, Naples and Avellino. At dawn the soldiers of the Provincial Command of Salerno They executed an order for the application of personal and real precautionary measures, issued by the investigating judge of the Court of Salerno at the request of the Prosecutor's Office, against 19 people: 8 ended up in prison and 11 under house arrest.

Charged, to varying degrees, with the crimes of conspiracy for the purpose of illicit drug trafficking, possession, and supply of drugs.

According to the prosecution's indictment, supported by technical evidence, the suspects are members of an organization dedicated to cocaine and crack trafficking, rooted in the province of Salerno and active in several neighborhoods of the capital and in the municipalities of Pontecagnano Faiano and San Mango Piemonte.

The main group, composed of 14 people, was allegedly led by Mario Viviani, identified by the investigating judge as the "chief promoter, fulcrum, and apex of the organization" built for a "thriving drug trafficking activity," through a dense network of drug dealers equipped with dedicated cars and telephone lines.

Despite being under house arrest in the Ogliara area of ​​Salerno, Viviani—according to investigators—is said to have transformed his home into a logistics and operations base, from which he coordinated the entire criminal chain, issuing instructions and managing relationships with suppliers and regular customers, including through his partner.

Among the main collaborators were Lucia Franceschelli, the partner identified as the group's spokesperson and cashier, and her father, Crescenzo Viviani, who also acted as spokesperson, occasionally acting as a pusher, and in charge of the fleet of vehicles used by the dealers. Simone Memoli also played a key role, managing supplies and maintaining contact with Neapolitan Gennaro Bucciano and his wife, Giuseppina Russo.

The investigation also revealed the identity of Vito Votta, who, after initially being involved in the organization as a pusher, apparently broke away from Viviani in December 2022 and, together with his family members Rosaria Landi, Teresa Patrizia D'Aiutolo, and Mario Votta, set up his own drug dealing operation operating between Pontecagnano Faiano, Bellizzi, and Battipaglia.

This second group could have relied on a different local supply network, identified in Azdine Makbol and Giuseppe Del Regno.

The Carabinieri's operations documented numerous retail drug sales, with doses of 0,3-0,5 grams sold for €30 each, in addition to seizing over a kilo of cocaine and crack cocaine. During the operations, five dealers were arrested and two others were charged.

A significant aspect of the investigation concerns their assets. The Investigative Unit's investigations revealed that Viviani and Franceschelli had modest official incomes, in stark contrast to their standard of living and the assets they owned.

The investigations – cross-checked with traditional investigations – have shown that, since 2019, the couple's spending power was fueled by the huge profits from drug trafficking, with an estimated turnover of over 1,2 million euros per year.

A property purchased for €95,000 and renovated and furnished with assets worth approximately €120,000, mostly paid in cash, was seized. Two plots of land and tax credits registered to Lucia Franceschelli totaling nearly €500,000, for a total value of over €1 million, were also seized. The assets were placed under extended confiscation pursuant to Article 240-bis of the Italian Criminal Code.

During the raid, a further order was executed by the investigating judge of the Salerno Juvenile Court, at the request of the local prosecutor's office, requiring the detention of two other suspects in a juvenile detention center. They are also accused of participating in the conspiracy as pushers and were minors at the time of the incident.