The recent news about “baby gangs” running amok in Naples, coupled with the movie The Piranhas, based on a book by Roberto Saviano, might give some people the impression that the Camorra is losing its iron-clad grip on Naples. The truth, however, is that this is far from being the case – the Camorra is going strong.
The Neapolitan Mafia is trying to vanish into the background. It wants to give the impression that it has been weakened and is less active than before. The reality is that this is simply a smokescreen, designed to camouflage all their criminal activities.
According to The Conversation the Camorra is still involved in the extortion of a many businesses in the city. Their loan sharking operations are also booming. This is particularly the case now that small businesses are reeling from the destructive impact of Covid.
The citizens of Naples encounter the impact of the Camorra in different ways every day. The roots of the Camorra are entwined around their everyday lives. When they go shopping, or eat out, or even go to the hospital, the likelihood is that they are interacting with entrepreneurs and people who have had to navigate the choppy waters dominated by the mafia in order to be able offer them a service.
In addition there are people who unfortunately fall into the grips of the Camorra themselves. In most cases this happens because they borrow money or purchase drugs from mafiosi. This article includes stories about Neapolitans handing over their cemetery plot in order to appease the Camorristi loan sharks. In even sadder situations people have committed suicide because they lost hope of ever getting themselves out of the clutches of the Camorra.
What is certain is that the days of the Camorra are far from over.
