Italian police on Tuesday arrested the blond godmother of a mafia clan in Naples, along with 65 other suspected gangsters accused of extortion, possessing illegal arms, robbery and dealing drugs.
“Raffaella D’Alterio was taken away in handcuffs at dawn. During the operation, 66 people affiliated with the Pianese-D’Alterio clan in north Naples were arrested, 18 of which were already serving time,” a police spokesman said.
D’Alterio, who “took over the clan after her husband was murdered” in 2006, is accused along with her henchmen of violently suppressing competition from a neighbouring clan over an extortion and counterfeit money trafficking ring.
Police also seized properties and goods owned by the suspects, including car dealerships, bars, supermarkets, houses, fast cars and bank accounts.
D’Alterio’s rise through the ranks of the crime organisation was marked by a botched hit by a rival clan in 2009, when she was shot in the shoulder.
She is also accused of building up ties with other clans in the powerful Naples-based Camorra, which has a vast international network that generates billions of euros (dollars) in profits from drug trafficking, counterfeit goods, waste disposal and construction.
