Who is Ciro Naturale, Ponticelli's Camorra broker, victim of an ambush that reduced him to the point of dying
by Luciana Esposito July 9, 2023in Chronicle , Highlights0

Struggle between life and death Ciro Naturale known as 'o mellone , the 46-year-old who ended up in the crosshairs of Camorra hit men on the evening of Saturday 8 July, while he was in via Carlo Miranda in Ponticelli, a fort of the De Micco clan, where they also live some friends and relatives of the interpreter from the local underworld reduced to dying.

Admitted to the Villa Betania hospital in Ponticelli, where he was transported after the ambush, Naturale's clinical picture remains critical. Reached by several bullets in the chest, one in the collarbone and another shot, however, he pierced his skull, from one temple to the other. A hail of gunshots that caused very serious injuries. Undergoing a delicate surgery shortly after arriving at the hospital, his conditions remain critical.

The brother-in-law of the Scognamillo brothers, the famous "Bombò", the narcos of Ponticelli , was in turn a leading figure in the local underworld, not so much from a criminal point of view, but more for his well-known ability to earn and circulate money . Mind-boggling figures that have refreshed the coffers of the De Micco-De Martino clan for some time. A subject accustomed to the management of illicit businesses, those related to drugs in primis, a real Camorra broker . A role that made him a crucial pawn, mistakenly considered untouchable .

The value assumed by Naturale in the ambit of the Ponticelli Camorra chessboard is revealed in all its indisputable importance by recent events. First of all, from the decision of the boss Marco De Micco to indicate him as his predecessor in the management of the affairs of the clan, at the same time as his arrest, which took place in April 2022. A choice resulting from the need to satisfy a priority need: that of guaranteeing income consistent with the clan. A guarantee that only a seasoned businessman like 'o Mellone could guarantee. Although that passage of the baton caused quite a stir and aroused the discontent of the De Martinos who hoped for a different decision that would see the XX play a role of that caliber, above all considering the forces invested in the various feuds that had alternated in those years, intended to preserve and reaffirm the hegemony of the two-headed monster constituted by the De Micco-De Martinos. A disappointed expectation that saw the De Martinos focus on the military profile of the organization , going to form the armed wing of the organization, at least until the internal balance of the clan changed, thanks to some excellent releases that followed one another in the last months.

The top role covered by Naturale within the organization following the arrest of the boss Marco De Micco was underlined by the car bomb attack which exactly one year ago shattered his wife's Jeep, parked near the house in via Virginia Woolf and which also led to damage to the cars of other residents in the area. An attack wanted by the De Luca Bossas, under the guidance of Christian Marfella, the half-brother of Tonino 'o sicco who was released from prison at that historic moment and who revealed on several occasions the desire to hit 'o mellone himself to inflict a serious blow on the finances of the rival clan.

The attack - listened to live by the investigators - together with the threats addressed to Naturale's daughter by Marfella and the desire expressed by the latter and his followers - unaware of being intercepted - to concentrate on planning an ambush and killing 'o mellone , they contribute to rebuilding the climate of tension with which the Camorra broker had been forced to live. Not only the threats coming from rivals, but also the pitfalls inherent in the repentance of Antonio Pipolo , a former member of the Bodo-XX who just a few days before the raid aimed at the car of Naturale's wife had decided to collaborate with justice. As proof of his credibility,Pipolo allowed the policemen to find a large quantity of drugs, attributable to Naturale.

This is enough to understand why the atmosphere was full of tension in the ras' house. Down during the summer of 2022 Naturale used to spend long periods away from Ponticelli, a detail that also transpires from the dialogues between Christian Marfella and his loyalists who express all their regret for not being able to track him down before he disappeared.

Following the blitz that last January imprisoned those responsible for the mining attack targeting Naturale, the scenario would not have changed. So much so that the Camorra broker continued to spend long periods of time away from Ponticelli , limiting his presence in the neighborhood to the bare minimum , perhaps aware of having ended up in the eye of the storm or simply oriented towards a more cautious and prudent.

Certainly, the latest Camorra ambush staged in Ponticelli was not aimed at a minor subject. Considering the important role covered by Naturale in business and his kinship with a top figure in the local underworld, the decision to eliminate 'o mellone must have come from a reason that was anything but futile.