Camorra

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Camorra
Map highlighting the location of Campania in Italy
Presumed Origin	the Spanish Garduna
Creation	XVI century
Actual Number	84,700 members
Principals Families	over 200 'clans'
Activities	Blackmail, Illegal gambling, Casino, Prostitution, Trafficking

The Camorra is a mafia-like criminal organisation, or secret society, in the region of Campania and the city of Naples in Italy.

1 Background
2 Presence in America
3 Trivia
4 See also
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Background

The Camorra was at its height in the 19th century, when the Bourbon monarchy in Naples used its members in the police, army, and civil service. Once Naples became a part of a united Italy in 1861, the Camorra was suppressed and many of its members fled to the United States where they joined the Italian-American Mafia. The Camorra was supplanted after Benito Mussolini's takeover in 1922. Compared to its counterparts elsewhere in Italy, Sacra corona unita in Puglia and 'Ndrangheta in Calabria, it was more involved in piracy. Also, compared to the Sicilian Cosa Nostra's pyramidal structure, the Camorra is made up of many clans that often fight each other. Drive-by shootings by camorristi often result in casualties among the local populations, but such episodes are often difficult to investigate because of widespread Omertà (code of silence). Raffaele Cutolo made an attempt to unify the Camorra families in the manner of the Sicilian Mafia, by forming the New Organized Camorra (Nuova Camorra Organizzata or NCO), but this proved unsuccessful. The Camorra is said by some authoritative sources to have originated with the Garduna, a late-Middle-Ages criminal society based in Seville, Spain, which was transported to Naples when Spain took control of the region. Scotland has had its brush with the Camorra. Antonio La Torre of Aberdeen, Scotland was a "Don" of the Camorra. He was convicted in Scotland and is awaiting extradition to Italy[2].

Camorristi in Naples, 1906

The Camorra is structured differently according to its location. In the urban areas of Naples such as Secondigliano, the organization lacks in hierarchy due to the geography of the urban apartment style housing. In areas such as Casal di Principe, a more Sicilian structure with a proper hierarchy can be found, with less power disputes and more stable structure.

Since the mid-1990s, the Camorra has taken over the handling of garbage disposal in the region of Campania, with disastrous results for the environment and the health of the general population. Heavy metals, industrial waste and chemicals and household garbage are frequently mixed together, dumped near roads and burnt to avoid detection, leading to a severe soil and air pollution. As of June 2007, the region has no serviceable dumping sites and no alternatives have been found. Together with corrupt local officials and unscrupulous industrialists from all over Italy, the Camorra has created a cartel that has so far proved very difficult to combat for officials.^[1]

[edit] Presence in America

The Camorra existed in USA between the mid-1800s and early 1900s. They rivaled the Morello crime family for power in New York. Eventually, they melded with the early American Mafia groups.