The Bari Camorra operates in Bari and in the province . It is not to be confused with the Neapolitan Camorra . Mainly confederations between clans, which continue to be dedicated to drug crimes, smuggling and extortion as their primary activities . Among the Bari clans, the Parisi clan stands out (which split in 1986 from the Sacra Corona Unita ) [1] headed by the well-known boss Savino "Savinuccio" Parisi [2] and the Palermiti clan with the Pesole operating in the Japigia neighbourhood , considered one of the largest drug dealing squares in Italy [3] . Other clans are present such as the Telegrafo del San Paolo , Capriati ( Bari Vecchia ), the Caldarola and Mercante-Diomede clans ( Libertà district ), the emerging Lorusso ( San Girolamo district ) and Di Cosola ( Ceglie del Campo ). [4]


Index
1 History
2 Characteristics
3 Main clans
4 Note
History

The same topic in detail: New Apulian Camorra and Sacra Corona Unita .
One of its first representatives was Francesco Biancoli (known as the Dado ), who controlled the clandestine gambling dens and drug dealing in the Libertà neighborhood and in the 1980s he affiliated with the New Puglia Camorra wanted by Raffaele Cutolo and then moved on to the Sacra Corona Unita of Giuseppe Rogoli , from whom he definitively broke away in 1986 [5] [6] [7] [8] . In 1984 Biancoli, together with Savino Parisi, Giuseppe Mercante (known as Pinuccio the drug addict ) and Antonio Di Cosola (leading exponents of the Bari underworld), were sent to trial in the maxi-trial against the New Apulian Camorra instructed by judge Alberto Maritati [9] . Parisi and Mercante also dissociated themselves from the Sacra Corona Unita in 1986 [1] [8] [7] .

Between the 80s and 90s , Bari became a major center for heroin dealing and in the Japigia neighbourhood , where the boss Savino Parisi ruled unchallenged, what was defined as " the largest drug market in Southern Italy " was born. , a drug dealing square that attracted consumers from all over Italy [3] . Another important drug trafficker was Antonio Capriati (known as Tonino ), head of the dominant clan in Bari Vecchia , who, together with Savino Parisi, had close links with the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta and with the Tranese criminal Salvatore Annacondia (future collaborator of justice ) for the supply of narcotics and in the mid-1990s their links emerged with the entrepreneur Francesco Cavallari, known as the " king of private healthcare in Bari ", who agreed to a 22-month sentence for mafia association , corruption and tax crimes [ 10] [8] .

According to the statements of the repentant Salvatore Annacondia , on the night of 27 October 1991 the Parisi and Capriati clans set fire to the famous Petruzzelli Theater in Bari at the request of the manager Ferdinando Pinto, who wanted to profit from the contributions for the reconstruction of the building, accusations that were never try because they were all acquitted [11] .

In 1991 the boss Antonio Di Cosola founded the Sacra Corona Autonoma, a sort of "imitation" of the Sacra Corona Unita of Brindisi, and in 2015 he decided to collaborate with justice, revealing important details on some illicit trafficking conducted by him and his clan [ 12] .

In the 1990s , the clan led by the brothers Donato and Raffaele Laraspata opened a feud against the Capriati in Bari Vecchia and against the Biancoli in the Libertà district , enlisting "batteries" of underage killers [13] and exercising dominance in Bari in that period in cigarette smuggling and drug trafficking thanks to the presence of many affiliates in Montenegro , where they spent their time in hiding [14] [15] . The arrests and collaboration with the justice system of Raffaele Laraspata induced the few remaining to found a new association, that of the Strisciuglio [7] [16] . The beginning of the 21st century was marked by numerous bloody events and feuds between the Capriati and Strisciuglio clans for control of the old city [17] which also involved innocent people, such as Michele Fazio (a 15-year-old who was accidentally hit by a bullet in Bari Vecchia during a firefight between the Capriatis and the Strisciuglios) [18] [19] and Gaetano Marchitelli (another 15-year-old killed by mistake during a shootout between rival mafia clans in Carbonara ) [20] .

Features
“The new bosses fill the void, finding the Kalashnikovs is child's play". ( Roberto Saviano ) [21]

In Bari, criminal episodes involve more and more people with a criminal record or minors , destined to swell the ranks of the clans with even important tasks. Serious crimes ( robbery , extortion , drug dealing , illegal carrying of weapons ) are often committed by minors linked to organized crime , eager to demonstrate their abilities to become part of it [22] . Often the early entry into criminal organizations is also due to family ties and the need to replace detained relatives in the criminal hierarchy .

The Bari Camorra clans present a structure of clear 'Ndrangheta origin with blood ties, affiliation rituals and ranks or " qualities " such as the " picciotto ", " camorrista ", " sgarrista ", " santista ", "attacker", " locket" and " major society chain locket ". On 16 June 2018, an operation against the Mercante-Diomede and Capriati clans was concluded in which the use of these rites was confirmed [23] .

Initiation during minors is also confirmed by the fact that, as shown by recent investigations, many young people who have just turned 18 have held or hold leading roles within mafia organisations. [24]