Maxi trial of the Fezza-De Vivo clan: 55 abbreviated proceedings and the breakthrough of encrypted chats.

The major trial stemming from the "Summa Mater" investigation by the Salerno Anti-Mafia Directorate (DDA) against the powerful Fezza-De Vivo clan has entered its final stages. The operation, launched on September 12, 2025, dealt a severe blow to organized crime rooted in Pagani, the municipalities of the Agro and Monti Lattari areas, resulting in 84 defendants and marking a new chapter in the fight against local mafias.

The abbreviated procedure and the crux of the Sky ECC chats

A decree for immediate trial has been issued for those involved in last September's raid. A total of 55 defendants have chosen to settle their case by opting for the summary trial (prescribed and conditional).

The charges leveled against various criminal groups are extremely serious: they range from mafia-style criminal association to international drug trafficking, including attempted murder, aggravated extortion, money laundering, weapons possession, and a parallel network dedicated to the theft and laundering of high-powered cars.

At the October 12 hearing, the preliminary hearing judge (GUP) rejected the defense's challenge to the constitutionality of the acquisition of chats and data from cryptophones (Sky ECC platform) decrypted by French authorities via a European Investigation Order (EIO). Relying on the twin rulings of the Supreme Court of Cassation's Joint Sections of June 2024, the judge reiterated that the review of legality and the protection of rights is not preventive but postponed until the trial on the merits or in the interim proceedings.

From the 2022 investigations to the sprawling control of the territory

The investigation has its roots in the original investigation of December 2022, when the clan—rather than suffer the backlash of the arrests—reorganized, partly thanks to Vincenzo Confessore's fugitive status. During that reorganization phase, women and three minors assumed a central role, replacing their husbands and family members who had ended up in prison.

The investigations were supported by the analysis of encrypted messages deciphered by foreign investigators. The clan's hegemony extended not only to Pagani, Sarno, Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino, and Angri, but its criminal interests extended as far as Sant'Antonio Abate and Santa Maria La Carità, enforcing drug dealing through the hiring of local laborers and violently repressing any form of dissent or rebellion.

International trafficking and the burden of collaborators of justice

An examination of the encrypted material revealed that, in just four or five months, the organization moved 750 kilograms of drugs, including hashish, cocaine, and marijuana, sourcing from South America, Spain, and the Netherlands.

This accusatory framework is now further supported by the statements of collaborators with justice. Among the prominent informants is Vincenzo Petranovic, thirty-one, son of Tommaso Fezza (aka "o furmaggiar"), captured in Milan after escaping the initial raid and now determined to cooperate with justice.

Arguments have begun for the 55 defendants who have chosen the expedited trial. Prosecutor Elena Guarino's closing statement is scheduled for October 22nd, followed by the defense team, composed of attorneys Giovanni Petangelo, Luigi Calabrese, Vincenzo Calabrese, Bonaventura Carrara, Professor Giuseppe Della Monica, Massimo Viscusi, Salvatore Mercurio, Matteo Feccia, Gregorio Sorrento, Michele Avino, Francesco Vicidodmini, Teresa Sorrentino, Alessandro Bavaro, Leopoldo Perone, Luigi Senese, Alessandro Pignataro, Giovanni Vitale, Tiziana De Masi, Roberta Pinto, Eva Scialdone, Antonio Boffa, Rodolfo Viserta, Veronica Russo, Silvana D'Ambrosi, Agostino De Caro, Salvatore Mercurio, Barbara Gatti, Danilo Iacobacci, Pierluigi Spadafora, Pecoraro, and Annalisa Califano.

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