30 Arrested in Camorra Crackdown

They had arrested three suspects in the Sept. 18 murders. 

“The war against the Camorra will continue until it is done,” said Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, whose government last week ordered 500 troops to the Naples region for three months to assist in the crackdown. Maroni said last week that the Naples-based mafia had declared war on the Italian state.

Casalesi Clan Suspected

The Sept. 18 murders were allegedly committed by the Camorra’s feared Casalesi clan in the town of Castelvolturno. An Italian was killed at an arcade, and at an African-run boutique, six Africans from Ghana, Liberia and Togo were shot dead. The BBC reported that the killings may have been the Camorra’s response to foreigners moving in on its lucrative drug trade.

Police raided small coastal villas near Naples and rounded up the three suspects, and also found two AK-47 assault rifles, pistols, police uniforms and other disguises. Another suspect  in the murders was arrested on Sept. 22.

Prosecutors had issued more than 100 arrest warrants on Tuesday, about 70 of which were issued for people already convicted of crimes or awaiting trial in jail. Police then arrested several people suspected of holding high rank in Casalesi clan, including Guiseppina Nappa, the wife of Francesco Schiavone, whom investigators suspect of running the group from jail. She is accused of taking monthly payments that the mafia pays to the families of jailed members. Police also took control of buildings and seized assets valued at €100 million ($143 million).