Carabinieri from the ROS special unit, coordinated by DDA anti-mafia investigators, arrested 25 people on Monday for alleged links to a scheme by the Mallardo criminal clan to influence the Giugliano municipal administration.
The town of Giugliano lies north of Naples. The clan, part of the Alliance of Secondigliano, a network of Camorra crime syndicates, also intervened in disputes between private citizens, according to investigators.
Carabinieri officers served 20 arrest warrants on detained suspects and placed five others under house arrest. They included the former mayor Antonio Poziello. The clan is suspected of influencing the municipal election campaign in Giugliano in September 2020.
The suspects face charges including mafia-style criminal association, political-mafia electoral exchange, extortion, usury, fraudulent asset transfers, and corruption.
A Naples preliminary investigations judge issued the arrest warrants at prosecutors’ request. They also ordered the seizure of real estate, businesses, and financial assets worth millions. Investigators say the Mallardo clan used illicit revenues to support members and their families, including those in prison.
Whilst anti-mafia investigations continue, in January 20 senior Mafia leaders were freed from prison.
