Edoardo Contini
Encyclopedia
Edoardo Contini is an Italian Camorra
boss. He is the founder and head of the Contini clan
, a Camorra clan with its central base in the Arenaccia, that also operates in the Poggioreale
, Vasto, Mercato
and San Carlo all'Arena
suburbs of Naples.
He is known as Faccia d'Angelo ("Angel Face") and o Romano, due to his business connections in Rome
. In 2001, Contini was included on the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy and eventually captured on December 14, 2007. Prior to his arrest, he was alleged to be one of the most powerful bosses of the Camorra.
boss, Francesco Mallardo
.
, was one of the founding members of the Secondigliano Alliance
in the mid-eighties. The Secondigliano Alliance was created with the sole purpose to control the drug trade and the extortion rackets in many suburbs of Naples. Thus, according to Francesco Forgione
, president of parliament's anti-mafia commission, Contini built one of the most dangerous and violent cartels to ever exist in the Neapolitan underworld. Furthermore, Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato
labeled Contini as "perhaps the most dangerous boss in Naples".
Contini is also credited with having revolutionized the Camorra, turning it into a major force in the lucrative drug trade. He is considered to be the inventor of the racketeering string of houses in the Vasto suburb, as well as the common codes used for drugs. For instance, the matches are "slip" and doses are "bra".
. He was convicted in 1996 of criminal association for illicit businesses, including clandestine betting operations. Contini was released in 2000 because his arrest warrant expired before his trial could be concluded. Shortly afterwards, he went into hiding while trials against him were still going on.
He is believed to have spent some of his years in hiding in Northern Europe, including Germany
. He also maintained control of his clan from hiding, leading a vast criminal empire dealing in drugs, extortion, prostitution, money lending and illegal immigration. In 2005, he was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in jail for Camorra association and extortion. He has also been accused of murder. The Neapolitan daily Il Mattino
reported that Contini had begun to recycle money through jewellery stores in Naples. Contini also recycled money through a casino in Venice
, where his clan led mainly checks and pretending to change them having to pay in exchange for tokens to use for the game and mask as winnings.
Contini took extraordinary measures to ensure that he was never re-arrested. To avoid detection, he never left a place for months, keeping fit on a treadmill and watching satellite TV. He avoided using phones or the internet, instead issuing orders through small hand written notes called Pizzini, which he handed to visiting subordinates. In a further effort to evade detection, he only visited his wife Maria Aiata during Christmas. He never saw his two month old grandson. He even avoided sending clothes out for laundry by ordering in a constant supply of clean underwear, never wearing the same underwear twice. His weekly regimen included chicken with potatoes, steak and salad and ricotta cheese with rocket. He never had desserts. In the corner of his room was a running machine, and a 32-inch television with a Sky subscription.
The Reuters
news agency reported that large quantities of underwear and socks, as well as a wardrobe of designer clothing had been found in the flat where Contini was hiding. The police also found numerous small pizzini in the flat, which they later used to make further arrests. On Contini's arrest, the president of the perliamentary Anti-Mafia commission, Francesco Fragione commented:
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
boss. He is the founder and head of the Contini clan
Contini clan
The Contini clan is a Neapolitan Camorra clan operating in the city of Naples, and more specifically in the area of the Naples Central Station. It also operates in the Poggioreale, Vasto, Mercato and San Carlo all'Arena suburbs of Naples.-History:...
, a Camorra clan with its central base in the Arenaccia, that also operates in the Poggioreale
Poggioreale
Poggioreale is a small town and comune in Sicily, Italy, set on the Belice valley, which administratively belongs to the province of Trapani....
, Vasto, Mercato
Mercato (Naples)
Mercato is a neighbourhood of Naples, southern Italy. It is in the south-eastern part of the city, bounded by the industrial port of Naples on the south and adjacent to the site of one of the most historic churches in Naples, the church of the Carmine. At the center of the area is "Market...
and San Carlo all'Arena
San Carlo all'Arena
San Carlo all'Arena is a neighbourhood of Naples, southern Italy, to the north-east of the old historic center of the city. The area centers on the gigantic Bourbon Hospice for the Poor on the square, Piazza Carlo III, named for Charles III the first Bourbon king of Naples.-External links:...
suburbs of Naples.
He is known as Faccia d'Angelo ("Angel Face") and o Romano, due to his business connections in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. In 2001, Contini was included on the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy and eventually captured on December 14, 2007. Prior to his arrest, he was alleged to be one of the most powerful bosses of the Camorra.
Early life
Edoardo Contini was born in the Vasto quarter of Naples, but his father Augusto moved after a short time in the notorious district of Amicizia, which became the headquarters of the clan. He began his criminal career as a small robber. He made the "qualitative leap" by marrying Maria Aieta, the sister of Mallardo clanMallardo clan
The Mallardo clan is a Camorra clan operating from the town of Giugliano in Campania, north of the city of Naples.-History:The clan was headed by Domenico Mallardo who was killed by the Maisto clan on June 24, 1976. His son Francesco Mallardo and his younger brother Giuseppe Mallardo succeeded...
boss, Francesco Mallardo
Francesco Mallardo
Francesco Mallardo , also known as "Ciccio è Carlantonio", is an Italian criminal and a member of the Neapolitan Camorra. He headed the Mallardo clan operating from the town of Giugliano in Campania, north of the city of Naples...
.
Secondigliano Alliance
Contini, together with Mallardo and Gennaro Licciardi of the Licciardi clanLicciardi clan
The Licciardi clan is a powerful Neapolitan Camorra clan which operates in the remote areas of Naples, specifically in the Secondigliano district and its stronghold of Masseria Cardone...
, was one of the founding members of the Secondigliano Alliance
Secondigliano Alliance
The Secondigliano Alliance is a strategic alliance of Camorra clans in Naples and its hinterland which controls drug trafficking and the extortion racket in many areas of Naples in the 1990s....
in the mid-eighties. The Secondigliano Alliance was created with the sole purpose to control the drug trade and the extortion rackets in many suburbs of Naples. Thus, according to Francesco Forgione
Francesco Forgione
Francesco Forgione may refer to:*Pio of Pietrelcina, Italian priest, popularly known as Padre Pio*Francesco Forgione , Italian politician of the Communist Refoundation Party, president of the Antimafia Commission, 2006–2008...
, president of parliament's anti-mafia commission, Contini built one of the most dangerous and violent cartels to ever exist in the Neapolitan underworld. Furthermore, Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato
Giuliano Amato
Giuliano Amato is an Italian politician. He was Prime Minister of Italy twice, first from 1992 to 1993 and then from 2000 to 2001. He was more recently Vice President of the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted the new European Constitution and headed the Amato Group. He is commonly...
labeled Contini as "perhaps the most dangerous boss in Naples".
Contini is also credited with having revolutionized the Camorra, turning it into a major force in the lucrative drug trade. He is considered to be the inventor of the racketeering string of houses in the Vasto suburb, as well as the common codes used for drugs. For instance, the matches are "slip" and doses are "bra".
1994 arrest and fugitive
In New Year's Eve, 1994, Contini was arrested by the Italian police during the New Year's celebrations at the chic ski resort at Cortina D'AmpezzoCortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...
. He was convicted in 1996 of criminal association for illicit businesses, including clandestine betting operations. Contini was released in 2000 because his arrest warrant expired before his trial could be concluded. Shortly afterwards, he went into hiding while trials against him were still going on.
He is believed to have spent some of his years in hiding in Northern Europe, including Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He also maintained control of his clan from hiding, leading a vast criminal empire dealing in drugs, extortion, prostitution, money lending and illegal immigration. In 2005, he was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in jail for Camorra association and extortion. He has also been accused of murder. The Neapolitan daily Il Mattino
Il Mattino
Il Mattino is an Italian daily newspaper, founded in 1892 in Naples, Italy, by the journalists Eduardo Scarfoglio and Matilde Serao.Based on 2008 survey data from Accertamenti Diffusione Stampa, Il Mattino is the most read daily newspaper in Campania, and one of the most read in southern...
reported that Contini had begun to recycle money through jewellery stores in Naples. Contini also recycled money through a casino in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, where his clan led mainly checks and pretending to change them having to pay in exchange for tokens to use for the game and mask as winnings.
Contini took extraordinary measures to ensure that he was never re-arrested. To avoid detection, he never left a place for months, keeping fit on a treadmill and watching satellite TV. He avoided using phones or the internet, instead issuing orders through small hand written notes called Pizzini, which he handed to visiting subordinates. In a further effort to evade detection, he only visited his wife Maria Aiata during Christmas. He never saw his two month old grandson. He even avoided sending clothes out for laundry by ordering in a constant supply of clean underwear, never wearing the same underwear twice. His weekly regimen included chicken with potatoes, steak and salad and ricotta cheese with rocket. He never had desserts. In the corner of his room was a running machine, and a 32-inch television with a Sky subscription.
Capture
After spending seven years in hiding, Contini's whereabouts were discovered through a conversation overheard by police bugs. In the bugged conversation, Contini talked about his low-fat diet and gave detailed instructions on the food to be brought to him by an elderly woman who was on his payroll and whose six children lived with him in the same building. When the police burst into Contini's flat in the outskirts of Naples, he was having dinner with his neighbors. After a failed attempt to leap out into a balcony from a window, he gave himself up and was promptly arrested by the police officers. While under arrest, Contini complimented officers on their detective work by calling them "brave".The Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
news agency reported that large quantities of underwear and socks, as well as a wardrobe of designer clothing had been found in the flat where Contini was hiding. The police also found numerous small pizzini in the flat, which they later used to make further arrests. On Contini's arrest, the president of the perliamentary Anti-Mafia commission, Francesco Fragione commented: