Capriati clan

Active since the 1980s, the criminal organization has historically been led by Antonio Capriati, known as Tonino, currently in prison where he is serving a life sentence. The clan is mainly dedicated to extortion and drug dealing, and for a certain period under the leadership of Tonino's nephews, Filippo and Pietro, the group tried to expand into other areas beyond its stronghold in Bari Vecchia, having also committed thefts in the region of Basilicata. Furthermore, the clan also managed to infiltrate a company that manages internal roads in the Port of Bari, and according to the investigations, the Capriati aimed to infiltrate the economic fabric of the city. In 2018, the then head of the organization, Filippo Capriati, was arrested and sentenced to 16 years in prison. In September 2023, a "top-down and hierarchical" structure was dismantled by the Carabinieri, based on the presence of various territorial structures operating under the aegis of the Capriati clan, which allegedly ensured and managed "upstream" the trafficking of narcotic substances in the South of the Bari area, in the territories of Putignano, Castellana Grotte, Noci, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Acquaviva delle Fonti. 60 people were arrested in the operation. In October 2023, 600,000 euros were seized from a member of the clan, the man was the "representative" of the Capriati clan in the control of the slot machine market and would then have used the clan's sums of money for real estate investments and financial, by registering assets to their trustees. In March 2024, a photo of the then mayor of Bari Antonio Decaro appeared on social medias, with the sister and niece of the boss Antonino Capriati. The photo caused a stir among the population and political parties, who asked the mayor for explanations.