Editing Camorra (section)

==Efforts to fight the Camorra==
The Camorra has proven to be an extremely difficult organization to fight within Italy. At the first mass trial against the Camorra in 1911-12, Captain [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carlo_Fabroni&action=edit&redlink=1 Carlo Fabroni] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabinieri Carabinieri] gave testimony on how complicated it was to successfully prosecute the Camorra: "The Camorrist has no political ideals. He exploits the elections and the elected for gain. The leaders distribute bands throughout the town, and they have recourse to violence to obtain the vote of the electors for the candidates whom they have determined to support. Those who refuse to vote as instructed are beaten, slashed with knives, or kidnapped. All this is done with assurance of impunity, as the Camorrists will have the protection of successful politicians, who realize that they cannot be chosen to office without paying toll to the Camorra."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt130711_16-0">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#cite_note-nyt130711-16 [16]]</sup>

The trial that investigated the murder of the Camorrista [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gennaro_Cuocolo&action=edit&redlink=1 Gennaro Cuocolo] was followed with great interest by the newspapers and the general public. It led to the conviction of 27 leading Camorra bosses, who were sentenced to a total of 354 years of imprisonment, including the head of the Camorra at the time, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Alfano Enrico Alfano].<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-behan24_17-0">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#cite_note-behan24-17 [17]]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#cite_note-18 [18]]</sup>

Unlike [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosa_Nostra Cosa Nostra], which has a clear hierarchy and a division of interests, the Camorra’s activities are much less centralized. This makes the organization much more difficult to combat through crude repression.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-behan114_19-0">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#cite_note-behan114-19 [19]]</sup> In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campania Campania], where unemployment is high and opportunities are limited, the Camorra has become an integral part of the fabric of society. It offers a sense of community and provides the youth with jobs. Members are guided in the pursuit of criminal activities, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_smuggling cigarette smuggling], drug trafficking, and theft.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tim011106_20-0">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#cite_note-tim011106-20 [20]]</sup>

The government has made an effort to combat the Camorra's criminal activities in Campania. The solution ultimately lies in Italy’s ability to offer values, education and work opportunities to the next generation. However, the government has been hard pressed to find funds for promoting long term reforms that are needed to improve the local economic outlook and create jobs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tim011106_20-1">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#cite_note-tim011106-20 [20]]</sup> Instead, it has had to rely on limited law enforcement activity in an environment which has a long history of criminal tolerance and acceptance, and is governed by a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_silence code of silence] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omert%C3%A0 omertà] that persists to this day.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-behan129_21-0">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#cite_note-behan129-21 [21]]</sup>

Despite the overwhelming magnitude of the problem, law enforcement officials continue their pursuit. The Italian police are coordinating their efforts with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europol Europol] at the European level as well as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpol Interpol] to conduct special operations against the Camorra. The Carabinieri and the Financial Police (''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardia_di_Finanza Guardia di Finanza]'') are also fighting criminal activities related to tax evasion, border controls, and money laundering. Prefect Gennaro Monaco, Deputy Chief of Police and Chief of the Section of Criminal Police cites "impressive results" against the Camorra in recent years, yet the Camorra continues to grow in power.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NATO_22-0">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#cite_note-NATO-22 [22]]</sup>

In 1998, police took a leading Camorra figure into custody. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Schiavone Francesco Schiavone] was caught hiding in a secret apartment near Naples behind a sliding wall of granite. The mayor of Naples, Antonio Bassolino, compared the arrest to that of Sicilian Mafia chief [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvatore_Riina Salvatore Riina] in 1993.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bbc110798_23-0">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#cite_note-bbc110798-23 [23]]</sup> Francesco Schiavone is now serving a life sentence after a criminal career which included arms trafficking, bomb attacks, armed robbery, and murder.

Michele Zagaria, a senior member of the Casalesi clan, was arrested in 2011 after eluding police for 16 years. He was found in a secret bunker in the town Casapesenna, near Naples.

The arrests in the Campania region demonstrate that the police are not allowing the Camorra to operate without intervention. However, progress remains slow, and these minor victories have done little to loosen the Camorra's grip on Naples and the surrounding regions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tim011106_20-2">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra#cite_note-tim011106-20 [20]]</sup>