Mafia Extortion and Illegal Trading: Arrests in Naples

In May 2023, during the championship celebration, they allegedly asked and received 500 euros from a street vendor to allow his wife to sell (original) gadgets of Napoli Football Club. This is what emerged from the investigation of the Carabinieri of the Investigative Nucleus of the provincial command of Naples and the DDA who today arrested four leading elements of the criminal family from the Fuorigrotta neighborhood. These are the boss Vitale Troncone, 55 years old, called 'the uncle', his son Giuseppe, 26 years old, Luigi Troncone, 34 years old, brother-in-law of Vitale, and Benito Divano, 41 years old. The criminal group led by Vitale Troncone was at the center of a feud with a rival clan, some time ago, and father and son, last June, miraculously escaped an ambush set up with the clear intent to kill and during which more than ten shots were fired into the crowd. Not only that. By threatening the same victim with death, the Troncone clan would have imposed for 6-7 months quantities of smuggled cigarettes (150/200 cartons) that the street vendor - a smuggled cigarette seller - did not have the ability to sell, also making him pay at an increased price, at 24 euros each. For a period, the cigarette seller managed to pay the imposition mainly thanks to the proceeds from the sale of the gadgets of Napoli, champion of Italy. When he tried to make it clear, however, that the situation would then become unsustainable, Vitale and Luigi Troncone reacted by threatening him with death and replying: 'we are here and we command here, and you have to do what we say'. The investigative activity, carried out by the Investigative Nucleus of the Provincial Command of the Carabinieri of Naples under the coordination of the DDA, has made it possible to acquire circumstantial evidence against the suspects for multiple aggravated extortions perpetrated against traders in the Fuorigrotta neighborhood. 'Now I'm going to shoot you (a shot) in the forehead, I'm not afraid of anyone and not even to kill you'. And again: 'you have to tell your wife not to interfere... I'm not afraid to kill you... because of you my son is armed and is risking being arrested'. Giuseppe and Vitale Troncone, leaders of the homonymous criminal family beheaded today with four arrests notified by the carabinieri of the provincial command of Naples, did not have half measures. The victim is a street vendor from the Fuorigrotta neighborhood forced to pay protection money so that his wife could sell the gadgets of SSC Napoli and also to buy large quantities of smuggled cigarettes - at increased prices - that he was not able to sell. In September 2023, according to reports, the victim was also threatened with death as, on that occasion, he was not able to pay the sum of 500 euros. Luigi Troncone (brother-in-law of the boss Vitale Troncone) was the one to interface with the street vendor, armed with a pistol and on a scooter, on that occasion: 'because of you, you make me get arrested... you made me come armed... and now because you didn't give me all the money you owe us, you forced me to come down also tomorrow which is Sunday'. The next day, the victim, fearing retaliation against him, his wife and his young children, handed over the missing part of the money requested to the boss Vitale Troncone, who had specifically come for the withdrawal. Giuseppe and Vitale Troncone also threatened the street vendor with death. Threats, also addressed to the couple's son, continued even after the report to the police.