Naples – For years, the Bakù Chalet in Scampia was one of the drug dealing hubs in northern Naples. A historic, contested, and strategic location, which—as reconstructed in the precautionary order signed by investigating judge Gabriella Logozzo of the Naples Court, at the request of the Anti-Mafia Department—was the scene of a veritable reversal of power within the clan, culminating in the rise of the Raia brothers, linked to the Amato-Pagano cartel.
This is recounted in great detail in the statements of collaborators with justice Luigi Rignante and Salvatore Roselli, included in the more than 300-page provision that led, in the last few hours, to the arrest of 15 members of the family clan.
Before the Raia: The Notturmo's control of the Baku
According to Luigi Rignante, before the Raia brothers were released, Chalet Bakù was firmly in the hands of Raffaele Notturmo, brother of Vincenzo and Gennaro.
«Before the Raia's rise – says Rignante – he was the one in command of Chalet Bakù, in 2017».
This control, however, began to crack between late 2018 and early 2019, when Costantino, Patrizio, Francesco, and Antonio Raia returned from prison. In the initial phase, the collaborator explains, forced cohabitation was attempted:
the two groups divide the lots of the drug dealing square, the T/A (Via Ghisleri side) to the Raia and the T/B (Via Fratelli Cervi side) to the Notturmo.
Raffaele Notturmo's argument, isolation, and downfall
The breaking point came quickly. According to Rignante, the conflict stemmed from the perceived failure of Nicola Notturmo, Raffaele's son, who was later killed.
«The Raia blamed Raffaele Notturmo for the fact that his son Nicola had mismanaged the clan's affairs and had not even supported the prisoners».
A very serious accusation in Camorra parlance. From that moment, the situation escalated: the Raia, supported by the Amato-Pagano and Abbinante families, took over everything.
Raffaele Notturmo is progressively marginalized, to the point of being effectively confined to his home. The collaborator describes a clear, almost physical reduction: "Notturno no longer has any role," to the point of being "confined to the house" and never coming down, "fearing retaliation from the Raia." It is the picture of a leader ousted and left without protection, in a context where the loss of power often means the loss of freedom of movement. A fragile balance, destined to last only a few months.
“The Raia are part of the family”
Rignante, who shares his confidences with Raffaele Abbinante, explains the Raia brothers' influence on the criminal scene. "He once explicitly told me that the Raia brothers were part of the family and that I had to be at their disposal for anything."
A clear investiture, certifying the Raia's inclusion in the system of alliances traceable to the Amato-Pagano clan. In the memorial filed in September 2021, Rignante reconstructs the complete organizational chart of Scampia's drug dealing centers, placing Chalet Bakù among the central ones and listing, in hierarchical order, the names of the operatives.
The “forced handover”
In the memorial filed in 2021, Rignante insists on the issue of the "staffing" of the squares and the management changes: he speaks of a "forced handover" from the Notturno to the Raia and describes the Raia as a "very large family", "also benefiting from the strong support of the Abbinantes", cemented – he says – by a marriage that would have transformed Raffaele Abbinante into an in-law of the Raias, strengthening the axis in the territory.
"In 2018-2019, the balance of power within the Notturmo family began to shift," he writes, "with the release from prison of the Raia brothers, a very large family also supported by the Abbinantes."
The Raia openly criticized Notturmo not only for his mismanagement of the business, but also for his lifestyle, which they deemed incompatible with the clan's rules. "He didn't support the prisoners while his son lived a life of excess." Ultimately, the verdict came from all the clans in the area: "The Raia, supported by the Abbinantes and with the green light of the Amato-Paganos, managed to take over the entire neighborhood."
“Today the entire Bakù Chalet is under the control of the Raia”
Here the collaborator further raises the tone, delivering a definition that the documents report verbatim: "Therefore, today the entire Chalet Baku is undisputedly under the regency of the crazy Raias." He then outlines the chain of command: first Costantino and Patrizio, then—after the arrests—"the regency passed to Ciccio Raia."
First Costantino and Patrizio, then—after their arrest—Francesco Raia, known as Ciccio. This control was also ensured by their close ties with the Abbinante family. "We were informed that we, the Abbinante family, were one and the same with the Raia family, ready to make ourselves available in any way."
Roselli's story: "Notturmo should have been eliminated."
Salvatore Roselli's account, which places the events between 2018 and 2019, reinforces this reconstruction. "The Raia family and Armando Ciccarelli had replaced Raffaele Notturmo at Chalet Bakù."
The reason is always the same: Notturmo wasn't supporting the inmates, he had behaved offensively towards the Raia and Abbinante families, and he had attracted the cartel's hostility. "For this reason," says Roselli, "the Amato-Paganos decided to sideline him."
The risk, however, was murder. A concrete possibility, which Roselli says he personally averted. "I was the one who interceded to prevent his death, explaining that Enzo Notturmo might repent and get me into trouble."
Autonomous but allied: the pact with the Amato-Pagano family
Roselli also outlines their economic and alliance relationships: the Raia "were independent, even if affiliated." In practice, according to the collaborator, they didn't pay "dues" to the Amato-Paganos, but were allies: "If we had a problem, they supported us and vice versa."
Two obligations, however, remain unresolved: "They had a commitment to support Enzo Notturno" and "they generally had to buy drugs from the Amato-Paganos," albeit with margins to source elsewhere. It's a story that portrays a flexible yet controlled supply chain: operational autonomy, loyalty at crucial moments, and respect for inmates' "expenses" as a test of the system's stability.
The 2020 arrests and the aftermath: debts and new regencies
Roselli places the arrest of Patrizio and Costantino Raia, along with that of Armando Ciccarelli, in 2020—"during COVID"—in an anti-drug raid. From that moment, according to his version, "only Francesco Raia" remained to hold out until a further arrest.
In the vacuum, "Diano Luigi, known as Cicciotto," "De Cicco Alessandro," and "Diano Gennaro" would step in, who—Roselli claims—"took the Raias' salaries and took over." The news, he says, reached him from prison via his son Fulvio, accompanied by a heavy voice: "It was said that Ciccio Raia had left behind a lot of debt."
And there's also the echo of an internal rift, recounted almost confidentially: Patrizio Raia wrote to him complaining that, "according to me," the Raias "had been kicked out of Chalet Baku," replaced by new contacts. A letter dictated, Roselli reports, to an inmate in the same cell as him, in a "prison radio" plot that the documents reveal with names and circumstances.
Baku and Oasis: the moving square
In the order, the DDA also emphasizes a logistical aspect: Roselli explains that the group's main business would have been the "lucrative and historic" locations of Chalet Bakù (Lot T) and Oasi del Buon Pastore (Lot R). The latter, "in effect," would have been "always closed," but ready to be reactivated as a safety valve: "in the event of tight security by law enforcement, the Baku location would be moved to the Oasis."
It's a detail that, read from an investigative perspective, gives a measure of the ability to adapt: not only who's in charge, but where command shifts when patrols, checks, and territorial pressure arrive.
The personal connection: "She wanted to pay for his funeral"
Among the most unusual lines, Roselli includes an episode intended to demonstrate his closeness to Francesco Raia: when the collaborator's mother died on December 18, 2021 (he was in prison), "Francesco Raia wanted to pay for his funeral." This gesture, according to the story, serves as evidence of a close relationship and financial availability attributable—according to the prosecution's argument—to the group's profits.
(In the photo, from top left: Costantino, Antonio, Francesco, Giovanni, Patrizio, and Pasqualina Raia; at the bottom, again from left: Vincenzo, Raffaele, Gennaro, and Nicola Notturno, and then the two informants Luigi Rignante and Salvatore Roselli)
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Comments (1)
The article discusses a complex situation in Scampia, but there's a lot of unclear information. The Raia and Notturmo case is intricate, and the details of the arrests are confusing. It would be helpful to have more clarification on certain points.