Seven arrested in Bari over paramilitary armored-car robbery gang; former mayor also investigated

The arrests

Seven men from Cerignola, in the province of Foggia, were taken into custody on July 10 as part of a large anti-mafia operation. The precautionary measures, ordered by the preliminary investigations judge of Bari at the request of the local Antimafia District Directorate (DDA), target 16 individuals in total. Nine others remain under investigation but are not in detention; among them is former Cerignola mayor Antonio Giannatempo, a retired gynaecologist, who faces a charge of favoreggiamento (aiding and abetting). The DDA of Bari scheduled a press conference for 10.30 on July 10 to provide further details.

The November 2024 assault

At the core of the case is a violent attack on November 6, 2024, along state road 96 near Toritto, in the Bari area. A commando stopped an armoured van carrying roughly €1 million in cash. The robbers fired numerous rounds from Kalashnikov assault rifles at the security guards, set off explosives that blew open the rear compartment of the vehicle, and set fire to several cars to block escape routes and slow down law enforcement. Part of the money was seized; investigators were unable to determine the exact amount taken because some of the cash was destroyed during the assault.

Mafia method and criminal structure

The Bari DDA has, for the first time, applied the aggravating factor of the mafia method to this type of armed-robbery gang. Prosecutors pointed to the identities of those involved, believed to be close to organised-crime networks, and to the systematic planning: procurement of weapons of war, explosives, and stolen vehicles, meticulous operational preparation, and a paramilitary-style execution. Investigators described the group as one of the most dangerous branches of Cerignola's criminal milieu, long considered a national reference point for attacks on armoured money-transport vehicles.

Other crimes

The organisation is also accused of stealing four scheduled buses from Ostuni, in the province of Brindisi, on April 15, 2025. According to the accusation, the buses were intended to be used in future hold-ups, following a tactical pattern already employed by Cerignola-based gangs. During searches, Carabinieri discovered and seized seven stolen cars at a depot in Trinitapoli.

The police operation

Over 100 military personnel from the Bari Provincial Command took part in the execution of the arrest warrants, supported by a helicopter, specialist units, and First Intervention Teams and Operational Support Squads normally assigned to counterterrorism duties. The investigation, coordinated by the DDA of Bari, reconstructed a criminal association dedicated to spectacular attacks on cash-in-transit vans, marked by what the judicial order describes as reckless ferocity.