In the working-class neighborhood of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, the so-called Palazzine, nothing moved without the boss's green light. Not just drugs, but also homes, people, even lives.
The leader was Vincenzo Santone, known as 'o Zuppariell, 41, identified by investigators as the absolute leader of the criminal organization dismantled by the State Police and the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate in a major raid that led to 17 precautionary measures (three against minors) and two arrests for drugs and weapons.
A massive operation, involving over 140 police officers, was presented during a press conference at the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office in the presence of Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, Deputy Prosecutor Michele Del Prete, Juvenile Prosecutor Patrizia Imperato, Caserta Police Chief Andrea Grassi, and Chief of the Flying Squad Massimiliano Russo.
The boss and the quota system
According to investigators' reconstruction, Santone acted like a true Camorra boss, exercising widespread control over drug dealing hubs throughout Sammarinese territory. The mechanism was as simple as it was brutal:
the drugs had to be purchased exclusively from him;
each pusher was obliged to pay a fixed sum, quantified at 200 euros per week, which was – officially – intended to support the detained members;
Alternatively, those who did not pay the money had to stock up on drugs at increased prices.
"The alternative to this diktat," explained Mobile Squad leader Massimiliano Russo at a press conference, "was death." A phrase that captures the atmosphere in the neighborhood.
Public housing as a loyalty reward
But Santone's power didn't stop at drug dealing. The investigations revealed another disturbing element: the allocation of public housing. The vacant or illegally occupied apartments in the IACP buildings were distributed according to the boss's wishes, who decided who should move in and who should move out.
A control that also passed through his wife, used – according to investigators – as an intermediary, and which transformed the public housing into instruments of consensus and domination, reserved for the most trusted affiliates or families deemed "reliable".
The murder of Emanuele Nebbia
The murder of Emanuele Nebbia, 26, fits into this context of oppression. He was killed with a gunshot to the temple on New Year's Eve 2024, a few minutes after midnight, while he was celebrating the arrival of the new year in his backyard by setting off fireworks.
A brutal crime that, according to the DDA, had a specific purpose: to punish those who dared to rebel. Nebbia, in fact, had attempted to become independent in managing his drug dealing business, seeking alternative supply channels and escaping the monopoly imposed by Santone.
For the murder, the boss is being investigated as the perpetrator, along with Luigi Martucci, 21, known as 'o Mucill, and Nicola Marino, a 19-year-old already in prison, accused of covering for him and of being responsible for concealing the 7,65 caliber pistol used in the ambush. Both have been ordered to be held in pre-trial detention by investigating judge Finamore of the Naples Court.
"We'll take their homes."
The wiretaps also reveal the aftermath of the murder. Santone, from the intercepted conversations, expressed his desire to expel the Nebbia family from the neighborhood, occupy their homes, and further strengthen his control of the area.
"We're taking the first-floor house... I'll have to break it down myself, I'll have Barbara put inside with the creature," he says in a prison interview. His brutal language conveys a total lack of restraint and the belief that he can dispose of people and homes as if they were the clan's private property.
The partner and the bond with the Belfortes
Santone was allegedly supported in the day-to-day running of the criminal group by his partner Giulia Buonpane, daughter of Nicola, leader of the Belforte clan of Marcianise, who is currently incarcerated in Tempio Pausania, Sardinia. According to the prosecution, the woman played an operational role, from cutting and concealing drugs to keeping track of the drug dealing locations.
A family bond which, according to investigators, strengthened the criminal weight of the association and its connections with structured Camorra environments in the Caserta area.
Minors recruited as "cannon fodder"
Among those arrested are three minors, who were prosecuted by the Naples Juvenile Prosecutor's Office. This fact prompted Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri to highlight an increasingly widespread phenomenon: the systematic use of very young people by organized crime groups.
"Minors are less at risk from a regulatory standpoint and are more easily influenced," he explained. "They are recruited as cannon fodder, used to transport drugs, weapons, or even to kill."
The state's response
The raid ended a season of violence that, between late 2023 and 2024, had seen a succession of shootings, attempted murders, and the killing of Nebbia, fueling fear and tension in the neighborhood.
"The Sammarinese community was rightly concerned," recalled Police Commissioner Andrea Grassi. "Operations like this demonstrate the synergy between the judicial authorities and the police force and have a tangible impact on the perception of security."
A severe blow to a group that had transformed a working-class neighborhood into a criminal stronghold, where everything—from drugs to housing, to life and death—was decided by one man: Vincenzo Santone.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The article explains the situation of the apartment buildings in Santa Maria Capua Vetere very well. It's incredible how one person can have so much power over the lives of others and over things like homes. I hope this is just the beginning of change.