The Camorra is one of the four most powerful and oldest organised crime groups in Italy. Its main competitors include Cosa Nostra, Ndrangheta, and Sacra Corona Unita. Camorra began its operations in Campania, Italy. It specialises in smuggling illicit substances and money laundering. The Camorra’s success as a criminal enterprise makes it a top target for various law enforcement organisations.
1 Symbols and History
1.1 Symbols
Tattoos are important symbols of crime groups; the Camorra is no exception. The picture above exemplifies a Camorrista, a member of the Camorra group. The tattoos and accessories worn by Camorra members vary across time and crime cells. For example, one Camorra clan wears lion-head-shaped rings.
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1.2 History
The Camorra’s roots lie in Naples’ 19th century prison system, where the way of life allowed for gang formation. Upon release, members of these prison gangs built an illicit network of smuggling. Markedly, their early success was partly due to the political upheaval of the time. The group focused on extortion and influencing local elections to gain greater power.
In the 1920s, Italian Prime Minister Mousolini’s fascist police state conducted operations against organized crime groups nationwide. After these operations, it was believed that the Camorra group was eliminated. However, the group later experienced a resurgence in Naples, establishing black markets for food and other goods. This allowed them to amass political power among the local populous. Towards the end of World War II, Allied forces worked with Camorra gang bosses to obtain intelligence and protection for American assets. This allowed the gangs to become richer and cement their position in society.
1.3 Evolution
In the 1970s, the Camorra’s yearly earning was equivalent to USD $215 million in today’s currency. Naples became a hub for tobacco and drug smuggling. The lucrative activities of the group led to both in-fighting and more widespread violence. In the 80s, Raffaele Cutolo and his supporters attempted to unify the Camorra group, which at the time operated as a loose network of clans. Raffaele Cutolo created the Nuova Camorra Organizzata and tried to consolidate control of the land and smuggling routes for himself. Other clan leaders in the Camorra resisted the creation of a unified group. This led to a civil war.
This violence caught the attention of civilians and authorities alike. Law enforcement throughout the 90s arrested multiple corrupt politicians and key criminal figures to combat the Camorra. However, instead of ending the Camorrap, these arrests led to further power imbalance and new leaders. Today, the Camorra is deeply embedded in the poorer quarters of Naples through youth drug dealers.
2 Organisation
2.1 Business Actions
Camorra focuses on illicit substance smuggling, counterfeit goods, extortion, and money laundering. The large sums made from these activities allowed the Camorra to invest in legitimate businesses, especially restaurants, to launder profits. One example of this was “Pizza Circo,” an eatery franchise which served as a front for laundering funds gained through extortion and other illegal activities. This allowed the business to expand beyond Italy until the arrest of its owners, the Righi family, in 2014. They were charged with conspiracy to launder money and were further investigated for their organised crime ties. Different Camorra clans have also experienced law enforcement crackdowns. For example, in 2014, USD $540 million in assets was seized from the Zasa clan.
2.2 Business Structure
In the 20th century, the Camorra was not strictly hierarchical or organised. Rather, there were distinct, independent clans working for their own benefit. This is still the case today. Camorra has no head authority and is made of about a hundred and eighty independent clans that work to control different areas of Campania and contribute to the illegal activities of the group. Each clan has its own “capo” or boss. Today, the capo designation normally stays within leading families.
2.3 Key Figures
Mario Caterino: Mario is the leader of the Casalesi clan. He was arrested in 2011 and is currently serving a life sentence in Italy.
Antonio Piccirillo: Antonio is the son of Rosario Piccirillo, who served as a capo in the Camorra organization. He has spoken out against the organisation and against organised crime in general. He has also collaborated with the authorities and is an important figure in the battle against organised crime, especially when it comes to the recruitment of children or the children of gangsters.
Giuseppe Dell’Aquila: Guiseppe, arrested in May 2011 and currently serving a life sentence, is considered the head of the Mallardo clan. It is believed that he played a central role in the management of Camorra holding companies.
There are many other unknown leaders serving as the heads of clans within the Camorra.
2.4 Recruitment
Methods
Family ties are important to the organization of the Camorra, as kids of clan leaders and members can join the organization. The Camorra also focuses on vulnerable youth who can be influenced to join the group. However, there is a violent undercurrent to this recruitment: if a recruit fails to complete an order, they can be killed. In the early stages, recruited kids deal drugs and commit other crimes at the behest of their leaders. Later, they become more involved in the illicit drug operations and violence of their clans.
The Camorra increasingly has relied on kids to meet the group’s needs. It uses social media to recruit youth, including videos featuring luxurious lifestyles and promises of money. Kids who join the group are trained to become clan leaders and often rise to the position of capo after sitting leaders are arrested by the police.
2.5 International Operations
The Camorra operates in Italy, Luxembourg, the US, the UK, Montenegro, and beyond. It also maintains ties to Al-Qaeda and Albanian criminal groups. For instance, the Camorra provide safe houses, forged documents, and firearms to Al-Qaeda in return for narcotics, which the Camorra then smuggle and distribute. The group also has legitimate investments, mostly in Western Europe.
3 The Future
The Camorra has focused its recruitment efforts on children and there is no indication that this trend will stop or shift in the future. These kids serve as an important base of manpower that clan leaders exploit for their own benefit. Given the continued arrests of clan leaders, it is likely that younger Camorristas will take their place. This may increase the importance of social media and the cyber world for the group when it comes to conducting drug smuggling and money laundering. The Camorra group is entrenched in Italy, where it has a solid power base, making it a difficult challenge for law enforcement agencies. It is likely that Camorra operations will continue to expand as they recruit more youth members who are groomed to become leaders in the criminal underworld.
4 Conclusion
The Camorra is an organized crime group that operates through separate clans. These clans mostly specialize in illicit substance trading and money laundering. To do this, they have invested in legitimate businesses to serve as fronts. The group maintains international operations, well beyond Naples, its point of origin. The group has focused its recruitment efforts on teenagers living in the poorer districts of Campania. They utilize social media and promises of wealth to incentivise the kids to join. The lack of hierarchy within the Camorra group has led to increased fighting between leaders and lower-level members.
The group receives significant police attention and has suffered from asset seizures and arrests of powerful clan leaders. However, this has not stopped the group from growing, as each clan has its own capo and a variety of people ready to take over the position should the head of the clan be arrested.
5 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does the Italian word “Camorra” mean?
The etymology of “Camorra” is debated. Some observers believe the word is a compound of “capo” (boss) and “morra” (a gambling game).
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What does Camorra do?
The Camorra is an organized group that is involved in a variety of criminal activities: illicit substance trading and smuggling, money laundering, extortion, racketeering, and assault.
