The Trentatré of Scampia wasn't just a drug dealing hub. It was, as evidenced by the precautionary order signed by investigating judge Lucia De Micco, a stable, organized, and hierarchical criminal structure, capable of sustaining itself over time thanks to internal rules, well-defined roles, and the cover provided by the Amato-Pagano clan.
An organization that operated as an illegal business, active in the sale of cocaine, crack, heroin, and kobret, based between Via Enzo Striano and Via Anna Maria Ortese, but with a network of clients that extended well beyond Scampia, reaching Chiaiano, Miano, Colli Aminei, the Hospital Area, and surrounding areas.
Trentatré, the closed drug market and a stable organization
The operation, coordinated by the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate and overseen by prosecutors Lucio Giugliano and Mariangela Magariello, resulted in 25 arrests, 3 house arrests, and 3 suspects at large.
According to the investigating judge, these are not isolated incidents of drug dealing, but rather a full-fledged criminal organization, aggravated both by the number of members, more than ten, and by the mafia's methods, with the clan's use of intimidating force.
The investigation, launched in spring 2022 following the revelations of two informants, Salvatore Roselli and Luigi Rignante, uncovered a kobra and cocaine trafficking ring in the heart of Scampia's "Trentatre" neighborhood, formerly lot SC3 on Via Arcangelo Ghisleri, a stronghold of the Amato-Pagano clan. The organization didn't limit itself to on-site retail sales: it supplied Chiaiano, Miano, and Colli Aminei with home deliveries or street pick-ups.
Rigid roles and a strict hierarchy emerged from wiretaps and shadowing. At the top, two bosses with multiple criminal convictions handled promotion, organization, and financing. Below, were drug custodians, storage and packaging workers, local suppliers, pushers, and lookouts. Three suspects rotated as local bosses, working specific shifts.
The raid: 31 people under investigation, the structure dismantled
Not just drug dealing: an episode of the Camorra war is in the spotlight. In August 2022, the "Abbasc Miano" clan (an offshoot of the Lo Russo clan) launched a "stesa" (spreading) attack against members of the Trentatre clan, accused of invading their territory. Part of the proceeds went to support the families of the inmates affiliated with them.
The investigation resulted in massive seizures of heroin, cocaine, crack, and Kobra. During the arrests—conducted in Naples, the province, and prisons such as Poggioreale, Secondigliano, Bellizzi, Carinola, Ascoli Piceno, and Ancona—officers confiscated approximately €100 in cash, proceeds from the killing sprees.
The bosses: who decided, who financed
At the top of the system, according to the ordinance, sat Massimiliano Cafasso and Salvatore Mele, described as promoters, financiers, and organizers of the entire activity.
Working alongside them was a group of directors of the square, responsible for ensuring the daily functioning of the drug dealing:
Mario Abbatiello, Pasquale Capano, Giovanni Conte and Salvatore Montefusco.
They were the ones who gave orders, decided shifts, set prices and handled emergencies.
Drugs, money and custodians
The logistical heart of the organization was entrusted to key figures: Antonio Abbatiello, until August 2022, guarded the drugs and takings, supplied the pushers, and, when necessary, also acted as a courier; Antonio De Matteo ensured a constant supply, especially of crack;
Giuseppe Cacciapuoti, Gennaro Gaglione, and Antonio Musto were regular buyers, with Gaglione also responsible for storing drug shipments ready to be placed on the market.
Pushers, poles and telephones: the street
On the streets, the system was supported by a dense network of itinerant pushers, ready to move on call: Gennaro Calvino, Cesare Di Domenico and Gabriele Vallefuoco.
The latter, until the summer of 2022, was one of the main references of the square.
The wiretaps reveal a continuous sale, punctuated by phone calls, appointments, coded language, and relays.
Nicoletta Mascaro was transporting the doses, while other suspects were stationed as lookouts in the area, ready to signal the arrival of law enforcement.
The square as a fort
Manning the Thirty-Third was a large group, with interchangeable tasks:
Bifolchetto, Cartigiano, Coppola, D'Ambrosio, Ottaiano, Rossi, Russo and Tsevtzov.
Pushers, lookouts, and suppliers: a constant presence that kept the square operational at all hours of the day, protected by the clan's criminal reputation.
The Breakup: When Customers Are “Stolen”
The turning point comes on August 12, 2022.
From that moment on, as the investigating judge reconstructs, Trentatré's clientele was forcibly snatched from the Vallefuoco group.
The Abbasc' Miano group took over, appointing Pasquale Luongo, known as Masaniello, as the manager. Luongo introduced himself to customers as "Vallefuoco's buddy," explaining that his old boss "wasn't there anymore." In reality, the change in management was prompted by a robbery of the phones used for drug dealing and the violent imposition of new controls.
Crack, inexperience and complaints
The wiretaps also paint a portrait of Luongo: inexperienced in selling crack, forced to quickly learn an unfamiliar market.
Customers complain: “It’s detergent, it’s Dash,” “I’ve been smoking for thirty years and I know how to recognize quality.”
These sentences, according to the judge, reveal more than any expert report about the poor quality of the drugs and Luongo's attempt to exploit the commercial goodwill of his rivals.
13 and 15 euro "pizzas": the language that betrays
The code is clunky and often useless.
“Pizzas,” “roses,” “how many of you”: words that should conceal, but end up revealing everything.
In one conversation, a customer openly talks about crack, forcing Luongo to silence him. In another, the distinction between two products emerges: 13 euros for crack, 15 euros for cocaine, "the white kind."
For the investigating judge, the meaning is clear: all the conversations are aimed at drug dealing, without any room for doubt.
The clan in the background
What makes all this possible is the mafia method. The Trentatré area thrives because it is part of the Amato-Pagano clan system, to which part of the proceeds are allocated and from which protection, drugs, and intimidation are provided.
It is this criminal force, the judge writes, that guarantees control of the territory and the continuity of the illicit activity.
The list of suspects
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ABBATIELLO Antonio, born in Naples on January 1, 1967. PRISON
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ABBATIELLO Mario, born in Naples on September 4, 1971 PRISON
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COWBOY Salvatore, born in Naples on July 20, 1987 PRISON
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CACCIAPUOTI Giuseppe, born in Giugliano in Campania on May 21, 1968 PRISON
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CAFASSO Massimiliano, born in Naples on March 22, 1972. UNDER INVESTIGATION
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CALVINO Gennaro, born in Naples on January 16, 1979 PRISON
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CAPANO Pasquale, born in Naples on July 5, 1975 PRISON
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CARBONE Luciano, born in Naples on December 2, 1996 PRISON
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CARTIGIANO Fabio, born in Naples on August 4, 1981 PRISON
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CASTELNUOVO Vincenzo, born in Naples on August 25, 1989 PRISON
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CASTIELLO John, born in Villaricca on September 27, 1991 PRISON
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CELENTANO Cristian, born in Naples on November 30, 1994 PRISON
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Salvatore BOWL, born in Naples on June 10, 1987 PRISON
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COUNT Giovanni, born in Naples on October 30, 1974 PRISON
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COPPOLA Giuseppe, born in Casoria on August 30, 1958 PRISON
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D'AMBROSIO Alessio Francesco, born in Naples on July 24, 1998 PRISON
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DE MATTEO Antonio, born in Naples on September 28, 1991 PRISON
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DE SALVO Laura, born in Naples on August 14, 1983 PRISON
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BY DOMENICO Cesare, born in Naples on October 9, 1989 PRISON
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GAGLIONE Gennaro, born in Naples on May 30, 1981 PRISON
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LUONGO Pasquale, born in Naples on July 12, 1972 PRISON
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MASCARO Nicoletta, born in Naples on February 17, 1968 HOUSE ARREST
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APPLES Salvatore, born in Naples on May 6, 1976 PRISON
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MONTEFUSCO Salvatore, born in Naples on September 26, 1979 PRISON
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MUSTO Antonio, born in Naples on April 27, 1968 PRISON
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MUSTO Gennaro, born in Naples on November 24, 1990. UNDER INVESTIGATION
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OTTAIAN Gennaro, general information omitted
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ROSSI Michael, born in Naples on April 29, 2003 HOUSE ARREST
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RUSSO John, born in Naples on December 20, 2004 HOUSE ARREST
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TSEVTZOV Dimitri, born in Ukraine on September 9, 1986. PRISON
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VALLEFUOCO Gabriele, born in Mugnano di Napoli on July 27, 1978 PRISON
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (3)
The information provided is very detailed, but it also leaves many unanswered questions about how we can intervene to change this difficult and dangerous situation for all citizens.
It's incredible how deeply rooted crime is in certain areas. The authorities need to be more vigilant in addressing these issues, which affect not only Scampia but society as a whole.
The article discusses a complex and worrying situation in Scampia; Trentatré appears to be a fully-fledged criminal organization. It's sad to see how crime can infiltrate people's daily lives.