Mafia raid sees 14 suspected members of Napoli's Camorra crime organisation arrested - many while wearing Al Pacino tee-shirts

A raid by police in the north
of Naples has seen officers cart off Camorra Mafiosi – many of whom were
wearing Al Pacino tee-shirts.

Police and carabinieri, Italy’s military police, have been pouring into the notorious Scampia district of the port city in recent weeks following a spate of killings linked to a turf war over the lucrative drug market.

Proponents are thought to be key factions of the Scissionisti - the seccessionists – who broke away from the ruling Di Lauro clan in 2004, prompting one of the bloodiest internecine battles ever seen among Italian mobsters, with 60 killings reported in just 18 months.

The latest blitz saw 14 people, including two minors arrested. All 14 were suspected Scissionisti, thought to be involved in the ongoing drug-related violence.

Marco Minicucci, a provincial carabinieri commander, said it was “worrying to see such young people” involved with the some of the most violent Camorra gangs.

Camorra expert Dr Corrado De Rosa, a witness in mafia trials who wrote the book “I Medici della Camorra” (The Doctors of the Camorra), said the arrests showed how new, young and undisciplined gangs were forming the north of the city – and now these young mobsters felt the need to brag about their trade.

“This is what I say when I talk about mob bosses without real personality,” he said. “They look for it on their tee-shirts. Strong bosses with strong personalities don’t need tee-shirts with images from the Godfather.”

Other Camorra clans have adopted Hollywood tee-shirts as unofficial uniforms. Both the senior Scissionisti boss Carmine Amato and his right-hand man and body guard Daniele D’Agnese were wearing James Dean tee-shirt when police arrested them in June last year.