Mazzarella Clan Trial: 14 Confess to Drug Trafficking

Condemned confessions, written statements filed, and appeals for the judge's mercy. The first-degree trial into the drug trafficking scandal that allegedly swept through eastern Naples is entering its climax with a hearing destined to mark a turning point.

In front of the investigating judge Aufieri, in the proceedings held with an abbreviated procedure, 14 of the 21 defendants admitted their responsibilities, aiming for the recognition of mitigating circumstances and a possible reduction of their sentences.

Those who confessed were Raffaele Anastasio, Fabio Annunziata, Antonio Baia, Clemente Correale, Enzo Cuozzo, Roberto De Bernardo, Rosario De Bernardo, Clemente De Cicco, Salvatore Esposito, Alessandro Lanzone, Salvatore Lanzone, Michele Mazzarella, Carmela Miranda and Francesco Scurti.

Instead, Rosa Bova, Ferdinando Buonocore, Luigi Ciliberti, Fabio Civita, Salvatore Di Caprio, Carmine Martiniello and Antonio Menna chose the silent stage.

In the upcoming hearings, the public prosecutor will hear his conviction requests, and then the defense attorneys. The panel is composed of attorneys Sergio Lino Morra, Leopoldo Perone, Domenico Dello Iacono, Giuseppe Milazzo, Immacolata Romano, Rocco Maria Spina, Onofrio Annunziata, Luigi Poziello, Rosario Arienzo, Dario Cuomo, Massimo Vetrano, and Mariangela Covelli.

Among the principal defendants is boss Michele Mazzarella, known as "'o Fenomeno," believed to be the organization's leader. According to the prosecution, despite being held in Syracuse prison, he continued to direct the clan's activities, coordinating a massive drug trafficking operation through two satellite groups linked to Rosario De Bernardo, brother of Vincenzo De Bernardo "'o Pisello"—killed in a Camorra ambush in November 2015—and Raffaele Anastasio.

The two criminal syndicates allegedly operated in Somma Vesuviana and Sant'Anastasia, respectively, under the umbrella of the Mazzarella clan, exercising widespread control over the territory. The De Bernardo group allegedly managed and distributed drugs in various drug dealing centers, with personnel, equipment, and weapons at its disposal. The Anastasio group, on the other hand, allegedly combined drug trafficking with systematic extortion against business owners and merchants.

Three companies operating in the renewable energy, car rental, and funeral services sectors were allegedly targeted by the extortionists. According to the prosecution, they were forced to pay money to support the clan's coffers and ensure the maintenance of their detained members.

The investigation, conducted by the Carabinieri, was based on a dense network of telephone and environmental wiretaps and focused for much of 2024 on drug dealing run by the De Bernardo group, active primarily in the Fiordaliso Park in Somma Vesuviana, considered a strategic hub for drug trafficking in the Vesuvian area.

(in the photo, from top left: Michele Mazzarella, the phenomenon, Raffaele Anastasio, Roberto De Bernardo, and Rosario De Bernardo; at the bottom, again from left: Salvatore Esposito, Francesco Scurti, Clemente Di Cicco, and Carmela Miranda)