On 1 October 2026, authorities carried out the preventive seizure of two textile companies, one in Angri and one in San Giuseppe Vesuviano, in an operation against alleged gangmastering and labor exploitation.
The investigation involved 102 identified workers across the two facilities. It was conducted by the Carabinieri Group for Labor Protection of Naples, under the coordination of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Nocera Inferiore, with the seizure ordered by the Nocera Inferiore court.
According to investigators, the workers were allegedly exposed to particularly demanding shifts and pay considered disproportionate to the work performed. The allegations include illegal labor intermediation and labor exploitation, the employment of workers without residence permits, and serious breaches of workplace health and safety rules.
Regional labor officials publicly presented the operation as part of a wider effort to strengthen action against gangmastering and labor exploitation, thanking the prosecutor's office and law enforcement for the intervention.
What the figure of 102 means
The figure of 102 refers to the total number of people identified in the two plants during the investigation. Available reporting does not establish that all 102 shared the same employment status or were affected by the same violation.
No reliable breakdown has been published for how many workers were employed off the books, how many lacked residence permits, or how many worked at each individual facility. Exact wages, working hours, and the detailed safety deficiencies have also not been specified consistently in the reports published so far.
What remains to be established
The companies involved have not been identified by name in the publicly available reports. The allegations remain subject to judicial review and do not establish definitive criminal responsibility.
For readers in Campania, the case is a reminder of how labor exploitation investigations proceed: seizure and identification are precautionary and investigative steps, while employment relationships, individual responsibility, and penalties must still be assessed by the judicial authority.