Criminal power in Naples and its province doesn't stop at prison. It spreads through illegal smartphones, thrives on "messages" delivered by trusted cellmates, and consolidates through cross-party alliances between clans distant from each other but united by their shared prison life.
The latest investigation by the Naples DDA into the Aloia-Covone-Luongo cartel opens a Pandora's box that extends from the San Vitaliano area to the top echelons of the Miano crime scene. At the heart of the story is the head-on clash with the Filippini group and the attempted mediation of one of the most well-known figures of the new Camorra: Walter Mallo.
The Luongo Expansion: "Things have changed, guys."
It all began with Nicola Luongo's desire to extend his dominion beyond the borders of Afragola, aiming straight for the heart of the Nola area. Despite his imprisonment, Luongo issued precise orders: occupy San Vitaliano, control drugs and extortion. But the territory was not free. It was the fiefdom of Agostino Filippini, known as 'O Leone,' a boss who paid for his prestige with decades of prison.
Wiretaps captured by the Carabinieri of the Castello di Cisterna Group reveal the tense climate. Ciro Guardasole, a figure who moves dangerously between two fires, clearly states this to his wife in an interview in January 2025:
"Do you know who's in charge in San Vitaliano now? Things have changed, boy... Luca Covone's father is in charge now. No, I'm not kidding... We've allied ourselves with them."
The Mediator with the Tear: Walter Mallo's Shadow
In this tense landscape, the figure of Walter Mallo emerges. The boss with the teardrop tattooed under his eye, the man who years ago challenged the Lo Russo family of Miano in a bloody war of succession, finds himself detained in the Saluzzo prison along with Nicola Luongo. Here, Mallo plays the role of ambassador.
According to investigators, Mallo acted as a "bridge" for direct contact between Luongo and the Filippinis. The connection was made through his trusted man, Alessandro Daniello, Agostino Filippini's cellmate in Secondigliano.
It's a technological and criminal triangulation: Mallo connects the two bosses via video call, trying to find a compromise to avoid conflict or, more likely, to impose the supremacy of his ally Luongo.
The chats discovered by investigators leave no doubt. A message sent by a user registered as "Walter" reads: "Good evening, I'm the uncle, we want the kids to meet my parents." A high-level request, however, initially met with a curt refusal from Rosario Filippini: "Love, tell the uncle that my relatives don't want to meet anyone, okay?"
The clash between 'O Leone and Nicola Luongo: "You're a kid."
When the video call between the two bosses finally takes place, the clash of egos is brutal. Nicola Luongo tries to humiliate his interlocutor, initially unaware that he's dealing with the former boss.
“But who am I supposed to talk to? Can I ever talk to you, you kid, brother?”
Agostino Filippini's response, as reported in Guardasole's wiretaps, is a roar of criminal pride:
“Brother, listen to me. Do you know who you're talking to? You probably don't know me... I'm Agostino 'O Leone. You did 20 years? You didn't do anything there... My nephew and I have a combined 60 years in prison.”
Luongo, however, doesn't back down and issues his diktat: the Filipinos must stop, the "hard work" (the drug dealing) must be handed over to Afragola's men. In exchange, a share of the extortion: "We do the extortion, and we'll give you a cut too... Do you want to earn 4-5 thousand euros every ten days? I'll make it for you."
"Whoever is strongest advances": the Filipinos' challenge
The mediation attempt fails miserably. The Filipinos, especially the younger members of the family like Patrik, refuse to accept being "put in the toilet" (to step aside). The decision is made in a climate of open defiance. Agostino sends his final, definitive message to Luongo:
"My nephew said that's how it's done: no, you don't want to sit at the table with anyone. Whoever's stronger goes first."
It's a declaration of war. A war fought not just with words, but with bombs, like the one that exploded near the home of the Sciano family, linked to the Filippini, and with leaden cannons.
Ottavio Colalongo's prophecy: "Afragola is a big problem."
In this game of interlocking pieces, the first to realize he was in danger was Ottavio Colalongo. Having joined the Filippini group, Colalongo felt the pressure of Afragola's men on his neck. A few months before being killed in the ambush on December 17, 2025, he confided in his family. His words, today, sound like an epitaph:
“The only problem I've had with Afragola is one big one. My name is all over Afragola… I have to watch myself, because I have to watch myself, Uncle. Was it worth having to watch myself?”
Colalongo knew that the Filippini family's decision not to "sit at the table" with Nicola Luongo would come at a bloody price. He had "created panic" in the streets, he felt it was "on everyone's lips," and he knew the death warrant had already been sent. December's murder confirmed the Luongo clan's ruthless logic: anyone who doesn't accept the agreement is eliminated.
(Pictured from left: Nicola Luongo, Agostino Filippini, Walter Mallo, Ciro Guardasole, and the victim Ottavio Colalongo)
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
This article highlights the complexity of crime in Naples and how clans interact with each other. It's interesting to note how alliances can shift rapidly, even with prison sentences. However, many aspects remain unclear.