Vollaro clan

The Vollaro clan is a Neapolitan Camorra clan operating in the area east of Naples, more specifically in the town of Portici and San Sebastiano a Vesuvio, a small village of the Zona Vesuviana.

History

The Vollaro clan was founded in the mid-seventies by Luigi Vollaro nicknamed "'o Califfo" (The Caliph) for his alleged unlimited sexual potency. When he eventually was arrested in 1982, the police found that Vollaro was living in a concubinage with 17 women and had 27 children. When asked by the judge whether he belonged to the Camorra, he replied: "What is the Camorra? A criminal organization, they say. I belong only to my family. I mate only with my women."Jacquemet, "Credibility in Court", pp. 48]

The Vollaro clan has fought two Cammora wars. The first between 1977 and 1997, was an internal war plagued by a score of murders and the other, in late 2001 and early 2002, was with the Cozzilino clan.

The Vollaro clan was one of the first clans to take sides with the powerful Alfieri clan from Piazzolla di Nola, led by Carmine Alfieri against the Nuova Camorra Organizzata (NCO) which was led by Raffaele Cutolo. It was also one of the first clans to join the Nuova Famiglia (NF), a coalition of anti-Cutolo clans which was formed to contrast the growing power of the NCO. [it icon [http://www.napolionline.org/wiki/doku.php?id=camorra:i_clan:alfieri Alfieri clan] ]

In 1982, Luigi Vollaro was arrested after spending three years on the run and was charged with the murder of Giuseppe Mutillo in 1980. Vollaro was later sentenced to life imprisonment for this murder. In 2003, Vollaro received a second life sentence for the murder of Carlo Lardone.

In 1992, Vollaro was subjected to the harsh Article 41-bis prison regime, thus having the distinction of being one of the first Camorra bosses to be subjected to this regime. For a short period after his arrest, the management of his illegal businesses went to his sons Pietro, Giuseppe and Raffaele. Another son, Antonio who had dissociated from the family business early on, was wrongly detained years for a murder committed by his brother Ciro. Ciro admitted to the murder after becoming a pentito (collaborator with Italian Justice) and with his confessions, dealt a massive blow to the clan's activities. [it icon [http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Cronaca/?id=1.0.2316335362 CAMORRA: NAPOLI, ARRESTATO IL BOSS RAFFAELE VOLLARO] ]

The continuing arrests of the Vollaro clan's members is likely to break the balance of local organized crime. Its weaking is likely to pave the way for the more powerful Sarno clan.

References