The precautionary order that led to 15 arrests last week in Scampia and the northern area of Naples, targeting the Raia clan of Chalet Bakù, is much more than a judicial measure. It's a stark snapshot of the Camorra's resistance, anchored to archaic codes, an obsession with respect, and violence as a response to every personal offense.
Wiretaps and phone calls nail the gang's leaders to a pure mafia logic, where blood remains a spendable currency and murder is never a taboo, but simply a matter of authorization and timing.
At the heart of the investigation is a story that, in itself, reveals the nature of the clan: the decision to kill two members "guilty" of violating one of the Camorra's most sacred rules.
"Now that I'm leaving, he'll die": Braciola's death sentence
The name is Carmine Pandolfi, known as Braciola, a member of the clan, already sentenced to six years for aggravated extortion using mafia methods. His "mistake" is neither investigative nor criminal: a romantic relationship with the ex-girlfriend of Salvatore Russo, known as Totore, son of Giovanni Raia, the group's historic boss.
An affront that, in intercepted conversations, takes on the contours of a capital sentence.
Giovanni Raia doesn't mince his words. He accuses his brother Francesco of not having already resolved the matter: "He got close to this guy's ex-girlfriend... and you didn't even kill him." Then he spells out his irrevocable decision, also tied to the timing of his imminent release: "Now that I'm out, he'll die."
The threat concerns not only Braciola, but also his brother Antonio Pandolfi, known as 'o Russo. For Giovanni Raia, there is no distinction: the shame must be erased entirely.
“He committed the crimes for us”: the internal conflict within the clan.
Francesco Raia, trying to slow the escalation, cites an unwritten but fundamental rule: Carmine Pandolfi is one of them. "He committed the crimes for us."
Francesco reminds his brother that Braciola shot for the clan, that he exposed himself, that he demonstrated armed loyalty. But Giovanni Raia is adamant. His response is a manifesto of the most traditional Camorra: "Disrespectful in my house... this scoundrel must show respect."
And then, with a crescendo that mixes private revenge and mafia ritual: "I'm going to kill him... maybe you're not clear about dad's mourning... I have to eat my father's bones... he and his brother have to go... they're going to the wild cardone."
Words that leave no room for mediation: the family offense becomes a matter of blood.
The "passage": murder is not done without permission
But even in its violence, the Camorra follows procedures. Francesco Raia reminds us of this when Giovanni insists on his murderous intent: Giovanni: "You say I won't do it?"
Francesco: «You can't do that… brother… because to move this thing… I'll tell you again now…».
The reference is clear: to kill someone in the neighborhood, you need the approval of the higher-ups, the so-called "passage." Giovanni responds, asserting his authority: "I'll make the passage... the passage is done my way."
And he adds, in the tone of someone who claims a criminal history beyond any objection: "I have had to deal with those who were in front... with those who were behind... with those in the middle... with those on the side..."
Francesco tries to bring the conversation back to the present, to a Camorra that has changed: "Guagliò, times have changed... today the rule is: bring the money and take care of yourself and don't cause trouble."
It's a key phrase, almost a sociological summary: the new Camorra wants to make money, not shoot. But Giovanni Raia remains anchored to another world.
Old school versus new Camorra
This contrast runs throughout the ordinance. On one side, Francesco Raia, more pragmatic, aware that every murder attracts attention, investigation, and prison. On the other, Giovanni, bound by the codes of honor, respect, and exemplary punishment.
The conflict also emerges when the two discuss the balance of power with the historic clans of the northern area, from the Amato-Pagano to the Abbinante.
Giovanni asserts his ability to sit at the right tables: "I'll go and sit in Melito, in Mugnano... I'll show you how I speak... they can't say Giovanni... they can't say anything."
And he adds, with a not-so-veiled threat: "I'll fill them up with gasoline."
Women, prisoners and the inviolable rule
In the wiretaps, one of the Camorra's most ironclad laws resurfaces: you don't get involved with an inmate's wife. Francesco reminds us: "Who did the most serious thing of all?" Giovanni: "Totore did it." Francesco: "He got close to an inmate's wife."
It's the same pattern that recurs in the Pandolfi-Russo case. For Giovanni Raia, the offense isn't merely sentimental: it's a violation of the criminal order, an act that undermines the entire system of rules.
"When you go out, kill everyone": the spiral of revenge
Francesco even goes so far as to rebuke his brother for his destructive outlook: "So now that you're out, you're going to kill everyone from Monte Rosa to all of Miano." But Giovanni justifies himself: here the pain is personal, profound. Antonio Pandolfi was one of the family: "He slept in bed with me."
To explain, he uses an example from within the clan, evoking the hypothesis that a trusted man could write to a prisoner's wife: an intolerable betrayal, which justifies everything.
The conversation concludes with a discussion of classic territorial control. Francesco describes the rule: "If a friend of yours performs a tarantella in your neighborhood... I have to come and knock."
He then lists the violations: extortion, drug dealing, armed returns. This demonstrates that the Raia clan is not a residual group, but a structure that controls, authorizes, and punishes.
A Camorra that doesn't want to die
The investigation into the Chalet Bakù tells the story of a clan caught between two eras: on one side, economic pragmatism; on the other, ritual violence, bloodshed as a response to shame.
Giovanni Raia embodies the Camorra of honor and vengeance, Francesco the one trying to adapt to the times. But it's the former who still dictates the rules in the wiretapped conversations.
And it is precisely this persistence of the mafia mentality, even more than the individual threats, that makes the order a document of extraordinary investigative value: it demonstrates that, in Scampia and the northern area, the Camorra hasn't forgotten how to kill. And, more importantly, when and why.
(pictured are Francesco Raia, Giovanni Raia, Carmine Pandolfi, and Antonio Pandolfi)
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Comments (1)
This article is very interesting, but it also makes you think about how the Camorra continues to exist despite arrests. Violence is a serious issue, and the justice system must do more to stop these activities. The families' pain is felt.