A bloody conflict between criminal gangs in Italy’s Puglia region has taken its toll on families, as well as women and children.
A young woman has been shot dead in a nightclub in what authorities believe to be part of a dispute between two mafia families.
Telegraph Report:
“Antonia Lopez, 19, the niece of the slain gangster, was shot in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Bahia Beach nightclub in the historic town of Molfetta.
Lopez’s murder is believed to have been the result of a violent dispute, or perhaps a settlement, between rival clans involved in drug trafficking, extortion and other crimes in Puglia.
Yesterday (23rd), 21-year-old Michele Rabopa was arrested by the Carabinieri as a suspect in the shooting and has been detained.
The victim, Lopez, had no criminal history but had ties to one of the area’s most powerful crime gangs.
“One of her uncles, Ivan Lopez, was shot dead three years ago while riding his scooter near his home near Bari’s port. Another uncle, Francesco Lopez, became a ‘pentito’, or traitor, cooperating with police and investigators.”
The Lopez brothers are members of the Striker Clan, which is at war with the rival Parisi Palermiti gang.
And what makes this case strange is that four other young people were wounded in the shooting, including Eugenio Palermiti, an alleged member of the Palermiti clan.
So what is the Striculio woman doing with the “soldier” of Palermo? Is there a Romeo and Juliet-style affair between these arch enemies? Or is it the old adage “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”?
And it wasn’t just gang members: Palermiti’s father is serving a life sentence for murder, and his grandfather was reportedly a longtime gang leader.
Italian authorities fear that retaliation for Lopez’s killing could escalate the conflict. A specialized anti-Mafia unit is investigating the murder.
“There have been countless clashes between criminal gangs vying for control of nightclubs and the drug trade,” Puglia Governor Michele Emiliano said.
“We are reaching a situation where even places of entertainment and leisure put people’s safety at serious risk. Our cities must not fall into the hands of criminal organisations,” said Michel Picaro, a member of the European Parliament from the region.
Puglia’s mafia gangs once made their money smuggling relatively harmless cigarettes from Albania, but now they have turned to drug trafficking and are investing the profits in legitimate businesses across the region.
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