Casoria, clan war: the clash of bosses unfolds on the TikTok profiles "l'invisibile" and "bandidos."

Casoria – The new frontier of conflict between criminal organizations isn't abandoning the streets, but is shifting its focus to digital platforms. On TikTok, in recent weeks, profiles linked to the leaders and younger members of local clans have been challenging the group led by Roberto Alfio Maugeri with videos, photomontages, and soundtracks from films about the mafia.

A media escalation that precedes, accompanies, and often amplifies real tensions on the ground. It's no longer just about flaunting luxury, high-powered cars, or wads of cash displayed for the cameras. The qualitative leap in the use of social media involves actual war propaganda: images of rival factions' representatives are edited into short videos accompanied by trap music or music with challenging lyrics, explicit threats, and symbols indicating the enemy's surrender or defeat.

Among the most popular formats are photos of rivals labeled with the alleged affiliate's role. For the gangs, the platform represents a showcase for social control and recruitment. Publishing an adversary's photo, ridiculing them in front of tens of thousands of followers, is equivalent to an act of symbolic submission that once occurred in the back alleys. The algorithm's virality thus becomes a power multiplier: those who dominate the online narrative seek to assert their hegemony even in the management of illicit trafficking.

The clash between Maugeri and Franzese

It all apparently stemmed from the feud that erupted between the group led by Mauro 'Maruzziello' Franzese and the rival faction led by Roberto Maugeri, which sowed fear in the streets of Casoria. The background to the story emerged with the arrest of Vincenzo 'Vincenzino' De Rosa on February 6th. The 25-year-old is accused of attempting to kill Salvatore Barbato. Barbato, a Franzese boss, known as Totore 'o cane, was injured in the armed raid on November 20, 2024. The investigation by the Naples Antimafia Department (DDA) reconstructed the Casoria feud, thanks in part to the testimony of collaborator with justice Giovanni Barra.

The repentant's statements

Last July, the informer revealed to prosecutors the changeover between the clans: "After the arrest of the kingpin Giovanni Baratto, criminal power in Casoria passed to Roberto Maugeri and Vincenzino (De Rosa), who allied themselves with the Afragola and Caivano groups. In fact, Roberto Maugeri, having to personally manage the Caivano territory, left Casoria to Vincenzino, even though Maugeri was still in charge.

The Afragola territory, on the other hand, was managed by the Panzaturrari, always allied with Maugeri." This fragile balance was destined to collapse despite the understanding between the criminals.

Hiring of members in the municipal street cleaning cooperative

Hiring of members in the municipal street cleaning cooperative

The clash between the two factions also reportedly concerned hiring and workers at the street cleaning cooperative. One of the latest arrest warrants confirms that some employees "work in the morning and act like thugs at night!", evidently linking this to some of the criminal incidents that occurred in Casoria. Meanwhile, law enforcement and prosecutors have intensified their online monitoring. Digital intelligence activities now allow them to trace contact networks, decode the encrypted language of emoticons, and map the clans' geography through geographic tags and cross-referencing profiles.

PB