Italian police have arrested three alleged members of the Pesce-Pistillo clan in Andria, accusing them of carrying out a string of extortion and violent intimidation against local shopkeepers as part of a mafia-style protection racket.
The arrests followed an investigation launched after a homemade bomb exploded outside a victim’s home in March 2023, according to police. The suspects allegedly demanded money from at least four business owners, using threats and beatings to enforce payments. None of the victims initially reported the extortion to authorities.
One intercepted conversation captured the brutality of the threats. “I haven’t done anything to you yet… but I’ll crush your skull,” one suspect allegedly warned a shop owner who refused to pay. Another was heard threatening to “block everything” if payments were not made.
Investigators said the men operated with a “mafia-style” method, maintaining control over Andria’s businesses through intimidation and violence. Victims, they said, lived in “a total state of subjugation” and feared retaliation if they spoke out.
The Pesce-Pistillo clan, based in Andria and tied to the Camorra, is known for its dominance over local extortion rackets and drug trafficking in the northern Bari area. The group has a long history of violent enforcement to maintain its control.
The operation was coordinated by Bari’s anti-mafia unit and carried out by officers from the Central Operational Service and the Barletta-Andria-Trani police. Two of the three suspects were already serving time for unrelated offenses.
