The execution of the boss Raffaele Afeltra, the 'new Nero': the despot of the Lattari clan betrayed by his own clan.

Pimonte — He had earned the nickname "Nero," and like the most controversial of Roman emperors, the boss Raffaele Afeltra—killed the other evening by rifle fire in the Zappino area—had become a despot with too many enemies. Enemies who had grown up mostly within his own circle.

The investigative lead pursued by the Carabinieri of the Castellammare di Stabia Company, coordinated by the Naples DDA, leads directly to the criminal circles with which the boss himself had surrounded himself. To others, he had left only the lucrative drug dealing business; otherwise, he maintained an absolute monopoly on all illicit activities, dispensing only crumbs to his allies.

The profile: from PNRR procurement to scooter rides

He had become a sort of Camorra entrepreneur: he controlled the procurement sector—including those tied to PNRR funds—, controlled commercial activities, and decided on job assignments. A veritable godfather who loved to luxuriate in his power. He knew he instilled fear and respect throughout the district and wasn't afraid to show his true colors, regularly traveling without an escort. In the mornings, he was often seen zipping through the streets of Gragnano on a scooter with a young man: both without helmets, their hair always impeccably gelled.

That he had no fear of being targeted by internal rivals was demonstrated by his last Sunday afternoon, spent peacefully with his son-in-law on a walk in the mountains among his animals.

The surgical execution of the hitmen

Whoever pulled the trigger did so with the surgical precision of a sniper expert in the use of long guns. The killers purposely spared his son-in-law, who was accompanying him: the man was questioned at length by investigators, who are meanwhile also examining the victim's smartphone.

Over the past forty-eight hours, several rapid searches have been conducted, providing valuable evidence to piece together the puzzle and extracting information from the boss's own circles regarding the identities of the instigators and perpetrators. As for the firing squad, there are very few individuals in the area capable of shooting with such skill with a rifle: the circle of suspects remains extremely narrow.

The investigative leads: the release of the "old men"

The investigation is aimed at uncovering who ordered his elimination. The fact that nearly all former members of the Camorra of the Lattari Mountains are at large (with the exception of his relative Leonardo Di Martino, known as 'o Lione) points investigators toward a very specific hypothesis.

Less viable, but not entirely ruled out, is the possibility of involvement with other criminal cartels, such as the D'Alessandros of Castellammare di Stabia: with the latter, after his release, a sort of rapprochement, or at least a non-aggression pact, had been signed.

The Shadow of the Past: The Previous Secessionists on the Lattari

The internal fingerprint hypothesis recalls what happened in March 1993, after the death of mafia boss Umberto Mario Imparato, killed along with his bodyguard in a firefight with police in the Quisisana woods. On that occasion, his brother Francesco Imparato, known as Ciccio 'o Ciccione—a victim of the lupara bianca and reportedly fed to the pigs after the execution—was killed in quick succession, followed by his son Davide Imparato, killed in an ambush along the highway leading from Agerola to Pimonte.

Both had the same ambitions for leadership of the clan, which at the time was led by Raffaele Afeltra and Francesco Di Martino, known as Ciccio 'o pecoraro, who is now under house arrest.

The investigators' theorem: the trap on Zappino's trails

In the background, a crucial question remains, haunting DDA investigators: how could a cautious man like Afeltra be caught off guard in his own inaccessible fiefdom? One of the most widely accepted hypotheses points to the "betrayal" theory.

The shooter knew the boss's precise schedule and habits, and knew that on Sunday afternoon he would go into the woods without an escort, accompanied only by his son-in-law.

The detail of the spared witness is no coincidence: in the codes of honor of the mountain Camorra, sparing a non-blood relative sends a clear message to the rest of the clan. Whoever decreed the end of "Nero" wanted to take over the contracting empire without sparking an all-out feud, but simply by cutting off the giant's head. A surgical blitz orchestrated by those who until the day before had walked by his side, and who now wait in the shadows to cash in on the Lattari inheritance.