13 Facts About Antonio Bardellino

Antonio Bardellino was one of the last of the old-style Camorra godfathers.

Originally from San Cipriano d'Aversa in the Italian province of Caserta, Bardellino was an important Cosa Nostra affiliate in the region of Campania.

Antonio Bardellino was the founder of the Casalesi clan, around which for almost a decade moved a united confederation of families rooted in a large territory which extended from southern Lazio through the agro aversano, to Naples.

Antonio Bardellino had close and powerful contacts within the Sicilian Mafia, initially with the Porta Nuova family of Pippo Calo.

Antonio Bardellino was one of the few Camorra bosses who were initiated into Cosa Nostra.

In contrast to the Nuvoletta brothers, who were allied with the Corleonesi headed by Luciano Leggio and Salvatore Riina, Antonio Bardellino was allied with Rosario Riccobono, Stefano Bontade, Gaetano Badalamenti, and Tommaso Buscetta, all heads of fallen Palermo families which were defeated by the Corleonesi in the Second Mafia War and forced to flee.

Antonio Bardellino owned a fish flour import-export business together with other clans, which in fact covered up a Brazilian cocaine smuggling operation.

When one shipment was intercepted by the authorities, Antonio Bardellino reportedly called John Gotti and told him; "Don't worry, now we're sending twice as much the other way".

Antonio Bardellino was the main exponent of the Nuova Famiglia, a confederation of clans that was formed to contrast the growing power of the predominant Nuova Camorra Organizzata, led by Raffaele Cutolo.

The order was not brought to an end, because Antonio Bardellino had been good friends with Buscetta in Sicily, and had once shared the same house with Buscetta in Brazil when the latter was absconding.

Antonio Bardellino deeply distrusted the Nuvolettas and was unwilling to accept the supremacy of the Nuvoletta brothers with the interference of the Corleonesi.

Towards the end of 1982, thanks to a tip off from the local police, Antonio Bardellino managed to evade capture in his Rio de Janeiro apartment.

Antonio Bardellino was arrested in Barcelona in Spain in November 1983, but he was inexplicably released on bail and disappeared soon afterwards.