The Russo clan is a Neapolitan

Camorra The Camorra (; ) is an Italian Mafia-typeMafia and Mafia-type orga ...

Nola Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian worship. ...

and its surrounding territories. Police say the Russo clan had total control over illegal activity in about 40 towns in the Naples region.Camorra boss seized in farm raid
BBC News, October 31, 2009

History

The clan was headed by the brothers Pasquale and

Salvatore Russo Salvatore Russo (; born 27 June 1958 in Nola) is an Italian Camorrista and boss of the Russo clan from Nola, which he co-founded. He has been running the clan together with his brother Pasquale for over thirty years. He has been on the "most wa ...

who founded the organization that has held control of Nola for over thirty years. The criminal career of the Russo brothers started in the 1970s and they had close ties to

Mario Fabbrocino Mario Fabbrocino (; January 5, 1943 – April 23, 2019) was a powerful Italian crime boss of the Camorra – the Neapolitan mafia. History Mario Fabbrocino was the leader of the Fabbrocino clan, based in the Vesuvius area, with its sphere of inf ...

and

Michele Zaza Michele Zaza (; Procida, April 10, 1945 – Rome, July 18, 1994) was a member of the Camorra criminal organisation who was also initiated in the Sicilian Mafia. He headed the Zaza clan (later Mazzarella clan) in Naples. Zaza was known as ''’O Pa ...

. The Russo brothers completely re-organised the operations of the clan-based crime syndicate since the 1990s. They were reputed to be ruthless criminals and created a significant network of alliances, particularly with the

Alfieri Alfieri is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Anastase Alfieri (1892–1971), Italian entomologist * Benedetto Alfieri (1700–1767), Italian architect * Carmine Alfieri (born 1943), Italian Camorra boss * Cesare Alfier ...

and Cava clans. They have been in

list of most wanted fugitives in Italy The list of most wanted fugitives in Italy is a most wanted list published by the Italian Interior Ministry. It includes criminals who are considered extremely dangerous by the Polizia di Stato. The list was started in July 1992. There are also lis ...

since 1995. In the past the clan was reportedly linked to the

Corleonesi Mafia clan The Corleonesi Mafia clan was a faction within the Corleone family of the Sicilian Mafia, formed in the 1970s. Notable leaders included Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina, Bernardo Provenzano, and Leoluca Bagarella. Corleonesi affiliates were n ...

. Over the years, the Russo clan has maintained good relations with numerous other clans, such as the Moccia clan from

Afragola Afragola (; nap, Afrahola , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Naples, in Italy. It is one of the 100 largest Italian cities (the ones that have a population of more than 63,000 inhabitants). The communal territory, measurin ...

, the Fabbrocino clan from

San Giuseppe Vesuviano San Giuseppe Vesuviano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in Italy, region Campania, located about 20 km east of Naples. Sights include the sanctuary dedicated to St. Joseph that stands in the center of the ci ...

and the

Cesarano clan The Cesarano clan is a Camorra clan from the town of Castellammare di Stabia, in the Metropolitan City of Naples. History The founder and important figure of the clan was Ferdinando Cesarano (born August 26, 1954), aka "Nanduccio 'e Ponte Persi ...

from

Pompei Pompei (; nap, Pumpeje, ) or Pompeii (, as in the name of the ancient city) is a city and commune in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy, home of the ancient Roman ruins of Pompeii that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. History ...

. The Russo clan represented a real holding company to which a variety of illegal activities belonged to, becoming a multibillion-euro enterprise and one of the most feared clans in the entire province of Naples.

Political connections

The Russos were very well connected in the politics of the region of Nola and surrounding cities, the clan supported its candidates to the Municipal Council of Nola, through its own affiliate, Franco Cutolo. The Russo family historical stronghold was the town San Paolo Bel Sito, which has been dissolved twice for Camorra infiltration.

Arrests and seizures

In March 2007, the clan was dealt a severe blow with the arrest of three members, including Salvatore's son, Francesco Russo. In March 2008, assets worth 300 million euros belonging to the Russo clan were seized by the Italian State, including real estate, two supermarkets, luxury cars, and Swiss bank accounts.Napoli, colpo al clan Russo
La Repubblica, March 7, 2008 Salvatore Russo was arrested on October 31, 2009, in

Somma Vesuviana Somma Vesuviana is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. History Before the Roman colonisation, the area of today's Somma Vesuviana was probably inhabited by Italic peoples like Samnites and Oscans ...

, close to his native area

.Naples mafia boss arrested in chicken farm raid
France 24, November 1, 2009
La Repubblica, October 31, 2009 Pasquale was arrested a day later, on November 1, 2009, in

Sperone Sperone is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, in the Campania region of southern Italy. Geography The town is bordered by Avella, Baiano, Sirignano and Visciano Visciano (Campanian: ) is a municipality, that is on the edge of t ...

(

Avellino Avellino () is a town and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

) together with his younger brother Carmine Russo, a fugitive since 2007 and on the list of 100 most wanted fugitives. With the arrest of the top leadership the clan has been dealt another severe blow.Camorra, annientato il clan Russo; preso anche il superboss Pasquale
La Repubblica, November 1, 2009 In January 2012, assets worth 110 million euros belonging to the Russo clan were seized by the Italian State including bank accounts in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

and

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and real estate in

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history. ...

Current status

According to the investigators, after the arrest of all the old bosses of the organization, the clan is now managed by the new generation of the Russos, who would have begun to follow a plan to expand up to

, once under the influence of the Fabbrocino clan. The new leaders of the clan have also formed an alliance with the

Mazzarella clan The Mazzarella clan is a Campanian Camorra clan operating in the city of Naples. The clan is historically considered one of the most powerful groups of the Camorra. History The clan was founded in the 1960s by the Mazzarella brothers, Ciro know ...

. In May 2019, Antonio Russo, son of Pasquale Russo, was arrested. He is accused of extortion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russo Clan (Nola) 1970s establishments in Italy Camorra clans

History

Political connections

Arrests and seizures

Current status

See also

References