The Camorra of power and terror: the shocking story of collaborator Gaetano Vigilia and the blind fury of O' Giò in the armored bunker on Via Tertulliano.

The collaboration with the justice system of Gaetano Vigilia—son of Antonio Vigilia (known as “O' Stuort”) and nephew of Alfredo Vigilia (known as “O' Nir”), historic figures of the Soccavo Camorra at the time of the original Grimaldi faction—represents one of the most significant pieces of the puzzle in understanding the criminal dynamics of the entire western area of ​​Naples.

The genesis of his collaborative journey is rooted in a context of ferocious violence, marked by bloody splits (between 2012 and 2013) and by a permanent war between opposing factions adamantly bent on controlling the lucrative illicit markets, primarily drug trafficking and extortion.

In the explanatory reports provided to the District Anti-Mafia Directorate, Vigilia demonstrates a detailed and in-depth knowledge not only of his home area, Soccavo, but also of its ramifications extending to Fuorigrotta, Pianura (with reference to the Calone-Esposito-Marsicano clan), and, above all, the Traiano district. When he delves into the analysis of the Petrone-Puccinelli group, dominant in the "upper part" of the district, the informer is able to identify the roles, hierarchies, and faces of individual members through photo recognition.

In the minutes of December 12, 2023, and March 13, 2024, Vigilia outlines the clan's provisional governance, made necessary by the detention of its historical leaders:

The Petrone-Puccinelli family is in prison, and in their place the clan is run by Antonio Basile, Antonio Di Martino, Maurizio Attanasio, known as “Pascazziello,” the Festinese family, father and sons, alias “Pollastr,” and the “Figli d'o Pollastr,” Antonio D'Angelo, known as “O' Cunigl,” his son Armando D'Angelo, and Tarantino Gennaro. Salvatore Petrone sends orders from prison via a cell phone he has at his disposal. He is in contact with Antonio Basile. I don't know where Salvatore Petrone is being held, but if I'm not mistaken, he's being held in Sardinia.

Going into the specifics of the figure of Antonio Martino (alias “O' Giò”), Vigilia attests to his criminal calibre and armed operations:

"He's one of the leaders of the Petrone/Puccinelli clan, and in particular, he deals drugs for Francesco Puccinelli, and I've seen him walking around armed with a Scorpion. I know he was a member of the clan because he attended a meeting on behalf of the Puccinellis at Luigi Imbriani's house. During this meeting, Martino wanted to know where the Grimaldi clan members lived, especially since the Grimaldis have always been at odds with the Petrone Puccinellis."

Antonio Martino's raid on the bunker on Via Tertulliano

Antonio Martino's criminal profile is not only evident from the statements of informants, but also finds resounding and unequivocal empirical confirmation in the technical audio and video interception activities ordered by the DDA and carried out in the basement used as a drug dealing hub at Via Tertulliano 34.

The pivotal episode that captures the ruthless hierarchical logic of the organization takes place on October 31, 2023 (interception no. 2450). At 14:40 PM, Martino enters the bunker where Antonio Tarantino is busy managing the illicit activity. Martino's presence inside the premises is sporadic—a tangible sign of an over-extended authority that avoids constant material exposure by delegating it to subordinates—but when he decides to intervene, it is to impose a wave of absolute terror.

The outburst has passionate and behavioral motivations tied to the conduct of Tarantino's wife. Martino bursts in, ordering those present to leave, and lashes out at Tarantino with unprecedented vehemence, banging his fists on the table and shouting at close range, in a direct speech that leaves no room for interpretation:

"I came because… get out there! Toni, look at me! No, I've arrived now, I've reached the limit, look at me! Your wife wants to act like a man? Look at me! If your wife makes a… mistake down here, I'll take the way to your house! I'll take the way to your house! You and your whole clan are leaving the Traiano district! You're the one who must die! If your wife makes a… tell your wife, I'll take the way to your house! I'll kick you out of the Traiano district! All right? I'll make you leave the Traiano district! All right! Tell her! Don't ever disconnect down here!"

The regent's fury is not appeased by the initial invective; as he walks away down the stairs, his voice continues to echo menacingly, outlining scenarios of pure scorched earth:

"Don't ever let her make a mistake down here because look at me! Take yourself and her and go away! Go away, I don't know where! You're the one who kills me! I'll burn your house down! I'll burn your car down! I'll burn everything down! I'll take the road home! You had the word! You had the last two words! Either you make her act like a woman or I'll act like a man or I'll make her act like a man! Get out of the Traiano district! You're the one who kills me! As soon as she crashes down here, you can't... get in the car and run away to Northern Italy! Northern Italy!"

Awareness of the role

Immediately after the release of the film, an unknown buyer approached Tarantino asking for clarifications on the hierarchy:
"But who is he? The master?… Is he the master?" receiving from Tarantino the reassuring and silent confirmation:
"Everything is fine".

In another key conversation intercepted on October 27, 2023, drug dealers Luigi Nocera and Massimo De Solda openly discuss Martino's tantrums and authoritarian behavior, which they call "capate" (sudden fixations or periods of particularly harsh temper). A buyer completes the picture, describing the relationship of fear and reverence he has established with his boss:

«Listen to me, with all due respect to you… it has rarely happened that I have had to deal with “Antonio”… but when I have had to deal with Antonio… Antonio said two words: “You are talking a lot to me, you are part of the family, it happened, everything is fine”…».

And then there is also an episode in which Martino himself went down to the bunker and, to dispel any doubts about the correctness of the doses, personally showed him the display of the electronic scale:

«Anyway, “o' chià” suddenly comes down… “Look at the nurse who must have”… I said, “Do you want to give me twenty euros?” He said, “I’ll do it for him…” He takes it and does the thing for me… He takes it and turns the scales… We didn’t know each other then… He takes it and turns the scales: “Look”… I said, but the day I look up here, with all due respect for you… I’m saying this for you, eh… the day I look up here, I said I can’t come down here anymore… He said, “Why?”… I said, “Because it means I don’t trust you…” He said, “No, that… look”… then he took me out and said, “You’re a very young boy, I have to tell the truth.”

At the same time, economic tensions over the payment of the "days" and the division of the proceeds often push the associates to invoke the intervention of "Antonio" as the supreme resolver of disputes, under penalty of immediate dismissal or retaliation.