Two weeks ago, ItalianCarabinieri launched an operation against theContini clan, a powerful group withinCampania's Camorra mafia.
But while police raids against mafia organisations are common in Italy, the operation on June 12 was unusual: a hospital was at the centre of the investigation.
The Contini clan have long been known to hold sway over theSan Giovanni Bosco hospital in Naples, but only now are the full details beginning to emerge.
Investigators found the mafia created what one magistrate called an 'anti-state', using the hospital as a hub to rake in cash and facilitate gangland killings.
Mobsters held meetings in the hospital's key wards, used ambulances to distribute drugs, fast tracked patients (for a price), and ran accident insurance scams.
Investigators also found that mobsters raided theSan Giovanni Bosco's medical supplies to create 'murder kits' for mafia hit men to use when carrying out jobs.
The Contini clan have long been known to hold sway over the San Giovanni Bosco hospital in Naples (pictured), but only now are the full details beginning to emerge
In the police operation earlier this month, 11 people were arrested, eight of whom were sent to prison while three were placed under house arrest.
The crackdown was accompanied by a 481-page warrant which details how theContini clan took over the 156-bed hospital and became a health provider for its own monetary gain.
One clan turncoat, Teodoro de Rosa, told investigators that 'ninety percent of the hospital was corrupt,' according to The Times.
The clan's ability to take control of the hospital was, The Times reported, inadvertently caused by the Italian government passing a law to help ex-convicts get jobs in the health service.
This resulted in mobsters fresh out of jail flooding some wards.
One such mobster wasPaolo di Mauro, a leader within theContini clan, which is amongst the most powerful groups within the Naples-basedCamorra mafia.
His influence over the hospital earned him the nickname 'The Nurse'.
Francesco Emilio Borrelli, a local MP, told The Times: 'He never actually showed up for work, but drew a salary and was given the nickname "the Nurse". When he died (in 2018), posters mourning him went up at the hospital.'
Paolo di Mauro, a leader within the Contini clan - which is amongst the most powerful groups within the Naples-based Camorra mafia - was nicknamed 'The Nurse'
Borrelli has campaigned against the Camorra and was attacked in the hospital car park when he tried to protest against mobsters selling parking tickets.
But control over the hospital's car park was just one of many aspects of theContini's master strategy seizure of the San Giovanni Bosco, understood to have been headed-up by 45-year-old Gennaro Manetta - known asGenny Maradona.
The Times reports that he was trusted by the clan to put the plan into effect, despite being - on paper - just a cleaner in the hospital's radiology department.
Under his lead, mobsters took over the day-to-day running of the hospital's cafe, its pizzeria, and the cleaning service.
Doctors were intimidated and silenced, whilemafioso stocked up on supplies from medical stores and held meetings in wards. The clan's leaders moved the location of these meetings around the hospital for fear of police bugs, meaning that mob business was done inintensive care and gynaecology wards.
Bosses are also understood to have created 'murder kits' for their hitmen, which contained doctor's robes, surgical gloves and medical gel.
The gel was applied to hitmen's hair and eyebrows to stop the shedding of their hair at crime scenes, which could otherwise lead to their DNA being discovered.
As another money spinner, the mob allowed for patients facing a long wait for treatment to pay cash to skip ahead in the queue.
The Contini also only permitted mafia-affiliated undertakers to collect bodies from the hospital'smortuary.
Mob lawyers were found to have been assisting theracket.
Insurance fraud was carried out on an industrial scale, extracting millions of euros from insurers. Police say casualty ward staff were ordered to write up reports of fake injuries, combined with old x-rays of broken bones.
These were sent to mob lawyers who would sort the paperwork.
Gennaro Manetta (pictured), 45 - known as Genny Maradona, is understood to have headed up the mafia's day-to-day control of the hospital.The Times reports that he was trusted by the clan to put the plan into effect, despite being - on paper - just a cleaner at the hospital
One worker at the hospital was hired to damage cars to provide evidence of the crashes that caused the 'injuries'.
This scheme, one investigator said, has driven up car insurance prices in Naples.
Fake medical reports were also doctored to help mobsters get out of jail, investigative documents show.
The hospital was also used to shift drugs.
Shipments of cocaine were hidden inside the facility's ambulances in order to transport it across the city. These shipments were accompanied by a fake patient, with the drivers even using the emergency siren to get through traffic.
What's more, after theContini clan decreed that no drug deals should take place in Amicizia (its home consisting of several council homes next to the hospital) dealers were moved into the hospital and addicts were sent to the roof for their fix.
Despite the hospital being used as a base for the criminal enterprise, the facility was still able to function as a medical centre, and standards were maintained.
Scandals did hit the hospital, however. Mouse infestations were discovered in its buildings, while some patients were found covered in ants.
Others were left in corridors and lying on the floor because of a bed shortage.
The scale of the clan's control has astounded officials.
Naples judge Federica Colucci said the Contini clan 'has in fact taken over entire commercial and entrepreneurial sectors, as well as some absolutely critical public structures such as some of Naples' most important hospitals, used not only to organise criminal summits or to receive victims of usurious or extortionate relationships, but also as an additional tool for managing their mafia power.'
Knowledge of the clan's control over the hospital is not new, however.
In 2019, 126 arrests were made in an attempt to crack down on the enterprise.
However,Manetta remained at large and continued his activities at the facility, where he would regularly be found near the entrance striking deals.
The latest police operation comes from a wire tap dated October 13, 2022 when investigators caught one mobster contacting another suspect in order to get a friend admitted to the hospital.
Edoardo Contini, also known as Edoardo 'o Romano, is the founder of theContini clan, is also one of the senior figures in the Secondigliano Alliance. He was arrested in 2007
In addition, Manetta is reported to have pushed his luck too far this year when an ambulance was used to transport celebrity TikTokers and singers to the opening of a friend's shop in Naples - all with the siren on.
He was among those targeted in the latest round up, according to The Times, and was arrested as he stepped off a plane from Los Angeles.
The British newspaper reported that since the recent arrests, the hospital appears to have returned to a relative normality.
However,Borrelli told the publication:'We mustn't drop our guard, because if you don't cut out the whole of a tumour, it grows again.'
