Naples – A well-established, organized system capable of instantly converting gold stolen during burglaries into cash. This is the picture emerging from the investigation by the North Naples Prosecutor's Office, which culminated in recent days in a major Carabinieri raid that resulted in 38 arrests and dismantled seven gangs specializing in home invasions.
At the center of the receiving network is Alessandro Russo, 34, identified by investigators as the criminal gang's key receiver. He was arrested at his home on Via Fabrizio Padula, where—according to findings—he had set up an illegal gold, silver, and precious metals business, knowingly purchasing jewelry of criminal origin.
The investigations allowed us to reconstruct how, over the course of two years, Russo received stolen gold and silver from at least 16 apartment burglaries, becoming a stable point of reference for gangs active in Naples and the surrounding province.
But the network didn't stop there. Another disposal channel led directly to the heart of the historic center, to Borgo Orefici, where a jewelry store—whose owners are under investigation—purchased stolen gold in violation of traceability regulations.
A landmark incident occurred on February 21, 2024. That day, officers from the Naples Carabinieri Investigative Unit, carrying out a surveillance operation in plainclothes, noticed four men moving cautiously between Via Stella and Piazza Cavour. They were Maurizio Cangiano, Angelo Michelini, Ciro Fabiano, and Enrico Parisi, all already known to investigators.
Michelini was carrying a black and red sports bag and a dark bag with white lettering. When he reached the garbage bins in Piazza Cavour, on the corner of Salita Stella, he disposed of them by throwing them inside. Immediately afterward, he and Cangiano got into a black Lancia Ypsilon, while Fabiano and Parisi drove away in a gray Lancia Ypsilon.
The Carabinieri immediately recovered the contents of the dumpsters and continued their tailing. The two cars stopped on Via Marina, at number 19. From there, Fabiano and Parisi set off on foot toward the Borgo Orefici area, while Cangiano and Michelini remained waiting in the car, confirming—according to investigators—a clear division of roles.
The two entered a jewelry store, where they lingered for about 10-12 minutes. Upon exiting, the officers noticed Fabiano clutching 50-euro bills, a clear sign that a sale had taken place. Immediately afterward, the four quickly disappeared.
From the bags recovered in the dumpsters, numerous jewelry cases were found, of various brands, shapes, and colors. These were traced back to a woman from Atripalda in the province of Avellino, where the theft had occurred. Investigators therefore believed the suspicion was founded that the gold jewelry had just been sold to the jewelry store.
A subsequent search of the business resulted in the seizure of necklaces, a pendant, and a gold ring, weighing approximately 14 grams in total. The owner admitted to having received them shortly before from Ciro Fabiano and Enrico Parisi, offering them €500 in cash. The man also admitted that he had not recorded the transaction, claiming he knew the two as regular customers and had "forgotten" to formalize the sale.
A passage that for the investigators represents concrete proof of the direct connection between the gangs of thieves and the receiving channels in Borgo Orefici, a decisive piece of the investigation that has allowed them to dismantle the entire criminal chain, from the burglaries in apartments to the transformation of the stolen gold into cash.
(In the photo, the proceeds of a theft and in the boxes, Maurizio Cangiano, Ciro Fabiano, Enrico Parisi and Angelo Michelini)
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
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