A (very brief) Intro to the Camorra

Even if you didn’t know it, you probably are familiar with the Camorra from Gomorra, both the series and book by Roberto Saviano. They are one of the main mafia organizations of Italian organized crime, primarily working in the region of Campania. Though now they are scattered around the world. While the original book Gomorra was a journalistic exposé of the criminal organization, the series has been dramatized a bit. Let’s learn a little more about what the Camorra really is and how it operates.

The Origins of the Camorra

The name came around in the 1730s. When eight gambling houses in Naples were authorized, the word was a play on capo, meaning boss, and morra, the gambling game. As a group, or gang, the Camorra began to show up under the Parthenopean Republic: a time when Naples attempted to be an independent republic (1799-1815).

In 1820, the group known as Camorra was first mentioned in police records. Authorities had documented various organizational statutes and initiation rites, marking them as more than just a street gang. During this time, they were known as the Bella Società Riformata or Onorata Società, showing a level of structure beyond petty criminals. They had real influence and hierarchy.

In the years before the Risorgimento, the gang was generally accepted, even at times being hired by groups to rally the poor of the city and help overthrow the king. Police also knew that the city’s poor would listen to them, so they usually worked with them to maintain order. But, of course, everything changed post-unification, as the new Italian government made mass efforts to suppress and exile them.

By 1911, the Camorra finally took the stand in one of the first major trials. It was for the murder of police spies Cuocolo, and in the end, it led to the imprisonment of 27 leaders of the society, dealing a significant blow to their operations.

Despite this, the Camorra was far from finished. Since this early history, the organization has continued to grow and transform. In the 1970s, under Raffaele Cutolo, the various internal groups, which had previously acted separately, became organized under the Nuova Camorra Organizzata (NCO). This restructuring gave the group renewed power and influence.

In the early 2000s, a violent civil war erupted within the organization, which you may remember from Gomorra. At this time, the secessionists broke away, creating internal disputes and multiple sub-clans. The conflict led to hundreds of deaths, as factions fought for dominance in the drug trade and extortion rackets.

Where Are the Camorra Now?

It is a bit complicated to cover all of the various activities, warring families, and clans of the Camorra, but I want to give just a little overview. So let’s take a look at what they are up to these days. They are still very active—it only takes a quick Google search to find the list of the latest victims or the latest financial scandals.

In the last few years, many of the old bosses have been killed, arrested, or are in hiding. Yet, that does not mean they have settled. Youth gangs have moved in to take over, and they work nationwide in both legal and illegal activities, ranging from the drug trade to waste management and beyond. It’s hard to categorize the Camorra under just one label because their greatest strength is their ability to adapt to changing times, follow trends, and collaborate with others. In fact, the Camorra works alongside various other organized crime groups such as Albanian and Nigerian gangs, making them a global criminal network.

But from what is known, they work heavily within the milk, fish, and coffee trade around Italy and abroad. They also own at least 2,500 bakeries in Naples (which, in the Italian sense, means bread and pizza shops, not just sweets). Beyond this, they are deeply entrenched in the cocaine and sex trafficking trades across Europe, though the ‘Ndrangheta controls the bulk of the international drug market.

One of their most infamous and lucrative enterprises is waste management. They secure public contracts and then illegally dump hazardous waste wherever they can, often in rural areas and farmland. This has not only scarred the beauty of their home region but has also had devastating health consequences. Since the Camorra took control of waste management in Campania, cancer rates in the region have risen by 40% due to toxic pollution contaminating the air, water, and soil.

Then, of course, there is their traditional method of extortion and threats against local businesses. Even recently, in 2019, a bomb went off in front of the famous Sorbillo Pizzeria as a warning to local entrepreneurs who resist their influence.

Internationally, they hold strong positions in the Netherlands, the UK, Switzerland, Romania, Spain, Morocco, France, and the Ivory Coast. Within Italy, they primarily operate out of Campania but have extended their reach into Piedmont, Lombardy, Lazio, and Emilia Romagna. Their adaptability and ability to penetrate new markets make them particularly resilient to law enforcement crackdowns.

It is only since 2012 that the US, under Obama, labeled this group as one of the four key transnational organized crime groups, acknowledging their global reach and power.

Now, there are plenty more stories to tell about the Camorra—from their relationship with Diego Maradona to their involvement in the 2002 Van Gogh art theft. But these stories could fill a book—and in fact, they have filled many. At the bottom, you’ll find a few recommendations!

Let’s Talk Organization

The Camorra is not a centralized organization; it does not function in a pyramid structure like the Cosa Nostra. Instead, it is made up of multiple clans and families, each operating with a degree of autonomy. These families typically make efforts to avoid interfering with one another’s operations, but when disputes arise, they can escalate into deadly feuds.

Originally, leaders were elected within the society, but over time, leadership became more hereditary, with power passing through family lines. Since the early days, there have been two main levels of Camorra members: low and high.

• Low-level members operate as street bosses, controlling impoverished neighborhoods. Today, this might be the equivalent of local drug gangs handling distribution, extortion, and minor enforcement.
• High-level members work in politics, finance, and corruption. Some are directly involved in office, while others win public contracts through bribery and maintain a legitimate front for their criminal activities.

At the moment, the original Camorra has been so fractured by internal wars that it’s difficult to clarify its exact structure. What is known is that multiple gangs are still active, with a clear internal hierarchy, yet without the strict centralization of the Sicilian Mafia.

Want to know More?

Here are some great resources if you’d like to learn more, I have found Italia sources are more informative but I have left a mix in all languages:

Gomorra– Roberto Saviano
Robinu
Naples in the Time of Cholera, by Frank M. Snowden
History of the Mafia and The Two Mafias by Salvatore Lupo
Mafia Republic, by John Dickie
See Naples and Die by Tom Behan
il Camorrista
Fortapa’sc