Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia
The word “Camorra” means gang. The Camorra first appeared in the mid-1800s in Naples, Italy, as a prison gang. Once released, members formed clans in the cities and continued to grow in power. The Camorra has more than 100 clans and approximately 7,000 members, making it the largest of the Italian organized crime groups. Once released, these members formed "clans" in the cities and continued to grow in power. The Camorra made its fortune in reconstruction after a powerful earthquake ravaged the Campania region in 1980. The Camorra is considered the second largest IOC group with over 200 clans and approximately 7,000 members.
The Camorra specializes in cigarette smuggling and receives payoffs from other criminal groups for any cigarette traffic through Italy. In the 1970s, the Sicilian Mafia convinced the Camorra to convert the cigarette smuggling routes into drug smuggling routes with the Sicilian Mafia's assistance but not all Camorra leaders agreed. This brought about the Camorra Wars between two factions and almost 400 men were murdered. Those opposed to drug trafficking lost the war.
It is believed that nearly 200 Camorra affiliates reside in the United States. Many came to the USA during the Camorra Wars ever since the 19th century, as proved by an old organization best known as Black Hand. The Camorra conducts money laundering, extortion, alien smuggling, robbery, blackmail, kidnapping, political corruption, and counterfeiting. Some believe it is now the strongest mafia in Italy.
Read more about this topic: Organized Crime In Italy