The Return Horse Gang Dismantled: 8 Arrests

In the early hours of today, January 12, 2026, the Carabinieri of the Castello di Cisterna Company carried out a major anti-crime operation, implementing eight precautionary measures ordered by the investigating judge of the Court of Nola at the request of the local Public Prosecutor's Office.

The investigation, coordinated by the Nola Prosecutor's Office and conducted by the Castello di Cisterna Operations Unit, uncovered and documented the extensive activity of a criminal organization specializing in vehicle thefts and subsequent ransom demands for their return, a technique known as the "return horse" technique.

Eight people have been targeted by the justice system, deemed to be seriously suspected of conspiracy to commit theft and extortion. The investigating judge has issued a precautionary detention order for four of them, while the other four have been placed under house arrest.

The investigation, which began with numerous reports of theft, allowed the reconstruction of a complex operational framework. According to prosecutors, the criminal syndicate committed 56 car thefts.

In six cases, the thieves moved on to the next stage of their business, contacting the owners of the cars to extort money in exchange for their return: three extortion attempts and three successful.

The investigation received a decisive boost with the arrest of four people caught in the act of committing a theft. Subsequent searches and surveillance led to the discovery of seven stolen vehicles, already "recycled" with cloned license plates, and the identification of mechanic shops deemed "compliant" and involved in laundering and receiving stolen vehicles or their parts.

One particularly alarming fact that emerged from the investigation concerns the choice of victims: many of the cars stolen by the association were parked near the Nola hospital and a medical clinic in Ottaviano, and were owned by people undergoing long-term treatment.

Places that should be synonymous with safety and where the owners, often relatives of patients or healthcare workers, are more vulnerable and distracted.

This morning's operation represents a significant blow to a particularly odious criminal phenomenon, which combines the material damage of theft with the psychological and economic aggression of extortion, exploiting the emotional and necessary bond people have with their means of transportation.