Italian Police Arrest Camorra Leaders In Naples for Inflated Bread Prices

All bread suppliers in the northern neighbourhoods of Naples (pictured) have been forced to buy their products from bakeries controlled by the Camorra mafia, police claim.

[From article]

In Italy's southern city of Naples, if you want to buy or sell bread, there's only one supplier to go to - and you'd better not refuse.
So claim Italian police who on Monday said they arrested 24 people suspected of belonging to a mafia group which has controlled the market for bread in the city for years.
From supermarkets to street vendors, all bread suppliers in the northern neighbourhoods of Naples have been forced to buy their products from bakeries controlled by the Camorra mafia - or else face the consequences.

Officers bring Francesco Danese out of the police station in Naples. Surveillance and wire taps led to Monday's arrests on alleged charges ranging from mafia association and racketeering to murder.

The mobsters forced stores to buy their bakeries' bread, with prices considerably higher than market prices, said Lt. Col. Giuseppe Furciniti, commander of the organized crime unit in Naples of the national financial police corps.
Most merchants bought the Camorra-linked bread, Furciniti said. 'Only a few dared not to,' knowing if they spurned the Camorra, they risked seeing their shops burned or suffer other damage, he said.
With wholesale prices hiked by as much as 30 euro cents a kilogram, the profits went to clan coffers, authorities said. Since most of the neighborhood shops sold the Camorra-linked bread, consumers also saw bread prices rise.
Extortion is one mainstay of the Naples-based syndicate. Besides demanding 'protection money' the Camorra often demands that businesses buy wares from certain suppliers.
'This time it was bread, other times it has been buffalo mozzarella,' the prized, creamy cheese, Furciniti said.

Ciro Perfetto is escorted out of the Naples police station after a police operation on the Lo Russo crime clan.

Since the arrest of Camorra boss Carlo Lo Russo in April in the French Riviera city of Nice, investigators have been looking into his family and relatives.
Surveillance and wire taps led to Monday's arrests on alleged charges ranging from mafia association, drug trafficking and racketeering to weapons possession and murder.
The Italian mafia consists of three main groups: the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, the Camorra in Naples and the 'Ndrangheta in southwest Calabria.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3662292/Not-just-crumbs-Naples-mobsters-extort-high-price-bread.html

They do love making dough! Police arrest 24 in crackdown on Naples Mafia forcing shopkeepers to buy BREAD at inflated prices
Police arrested 24 people suspected of controlling the bread market
They said Camorra mafia forced vendors to buy bread from their bakeries
Those who refused 'risked having their shops burned down or vandalised'
By ASSOCIATED PRESS and AFP and TED THORNHILL FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 11:11 EST, 27 June 2016 | UPDATED: 07:58 EST, 28 June 2016

Ground Zero Vendor, Mohammed, Charges $20 For Hot Dog

Mohammed of the Changing High Prices

[From article]
Ron Wolfgang, who is in charge of security for the Alliance for Downtown New York, said, there have been "five times since May 13 where we've observed altercations on the street over the prices being charged for hot dogs, pretzels, water, soda."
NBC 4 New York's own cameras captured the price of a hot dog changing by the minute: $3 for some, $30 for others.
Several customers also accused him of short-changing them after overcharging them. One woman pointed out that he had only given her $5 in change when he was supposed to hand her $8; another woman said he didn't even give her change at all.
One woman named Ruth said, "He gave me $5 back, and I thought, '$15 for a pretzel and a water?'"
When a self-identified NBC 4 New York reporter asked the price of a hot dog, Mohammed said $3. When asked why the price changes, he claimed not to speak English -- even though cameras had captured him speaking English earlier,

[. . .]

Part of the problem is that Mohammed's prices aren't posted, as required by the city's Department of Consumer Affairs. At a hot dog cart around the corner, for example, there's no question how much a hot dog costs -- it's listed at $1.
The Department of Consumer Affairs encourages anyone who is charged more than the posted price -- or encounters a stand with no price listed at all -- to file a complaint at nyc.gov/consumers or to call 311.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Hot-Dog-Vendor-Charges-30-Dollars-Tourists-Rip-Off-New-York-City-304355861.html

Fights Break Out Over $30 Hot Dog Price at Stand Near Ground Zero: Officials
It caught the attention of officials when fights started breaking out over the prices
By Melissa Russo and Fred Mamoun

NBC News New York NY

Fierce Grocery Competition

[From article]
This year Kroger, the US's largest supermarket chain, will pass $100bn revenue mark, despite having no presence overseas. This local chain has now enjoyed 43 consecutive quarters of growth. Walmart has taken note and is trying to get back into smaller, urban supermarkets after spending years trying to kill them off.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/oct/05/supermarkets-discounters-europe-us-china-japan

Brutal competition batters supermarkets the world over
As discount chains knock spots off Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda, and Morrisons in the UK, grocers in Europe and further afield are suffering too. Observer writers check out shopping struggles from Berlin to Beijing
Observer writers check out shopping struggles from Berlin to Beijing
The Observer

Saturday 4 October 2014

Market Basket Resumes Operations After Cousins Settle

Back to work: Employees embrace near a poster welcoming customers back to the stores on Thursday.

[From article]
A beloved grocery chain CEO who was ousted from the company by his cousin - causing a six week standoff between management and thousands of workers - has struck a deal to return to the helm.
Arthur T. Demoulas has reportedly made a $1.5 billion offer to buy out the part of the New England-based chain Market Basket controlled by his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas.
When Arthur T. - whom employees likened to George Bailey in 'It's a Wonderful Life' for putting people before profits - was ousted by a board of directors controlled by Arthur S. Demoulas in June, workers refused to work and marched the streets in protest.


Warehouse employees failed to make deliveries to the stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, leaving shelves bare and costing millions in lost revenue.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2736661/Victory-beloved-It-s-Wonderful-Life-boss-Fired-CEO-buys-grocery-company-employees-walked-six-weeks-save-job.html

Victory for beloved 'It's a Wonderful Life boss': Fired CEO buys grocery company back after all his employees walked out for six weeks to save his job
Arthur T. Demoulas has made a $1.5 billion offer to buy out the part of Market Basket controlled by his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas
It comes after a board of directors controlled by Arthur S. ousted Arthur T. in June - sparking protests and walkouts by employees
Staff demanded Arthur T. be reinstated and refused to make deliveries or re-stock shelves, leading to empty stores and tens of millions in lost revenue
Workers likened Arthur T. to George Bailey in the movie 'It's a Wonderful Life', saying he has long put 'people before profits'
By ASSOCIATED PRESS and LYDIA WARREN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 07:52 EST, 28 August 2014 | UPDATED: 10:53 EST, 28 August 2014

NIckel and Diming Thieves at Amtrak

An individual can purchase 12-packs of brand name sodas for $2.50 and sometimes for as low as $1.99. It is common sense that the food purchasers are thieves working with other thieves. The rest of the products can be purchased cheaply using common sense. This is one more example of what happens when unaccountable people spend other people's money. Just one of many with the current administration's green companies taking the prize for the most theft.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/amtrak-lost-800m-on-cheeseburgers-and-soda/article/2503832

Amtrak lost $800M on cheeseburgers and soda
Joel Gehrke
August 2, 2012
Washington Examiner

Government Lies on Inflation

The figures for ice cream are incomplete. The size of the containers were reduced to 48 ounces from 64 ounces (25 percent), with the raised prices remaining the same. Canned tuna fish is now 5 ounces down from 6 (16 percent) with the same prices. Coffee prices have doubled and tripled in some cases in the past two months with the reduced can sizes of 10.5 to 11.5 ounces down from 16 ounces. Containers of butter products are now 14 to 15 ounces down from 16 ounces. Many products sizes were reduced with the prices remaining the same. That was not included in the deceptive government figures on inflation. Yet with all of these price increases after two years of no increase the SSA gave an increase of 3.6 percent. Hello is anyone paying attention or do they ignore their lying eyes for what Obama says?

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/under-obama-price-gas-has-jumped-83-percent-ground-beef-24-percent-bacon-22-percent

Under Obama, Price of Gas Has Jumped 83 Percent, Ground Beef 24 Percent, Bacon 22 Percent
By Christopher Goins
January 20, 2012

Inflation by Reduced Contents

Rising prices is one aspect of less food for more money. Many basic items have lost net weight while prices remain the same. That is often a greater price increase for food.
The price quoted in the sidebar does not reflect the reduced can size for tuna, 6 ounces to five.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/reeling_in_9O0R4mmAOfbbJ1LDugVBcI

Supermarket prices soar in Manhattan and across the country
By FARRAH WEINSTEIN and CYNTHIA R. FAGEN
New York Post
Last Updated: 11:50 AM, March 13, 2011
Posted: 4:22 AM, March 13, 2011

High Food Prices, Not Democracy Drives Middle East Protestors

[From article]
"The common threads for Tunisia and Egypt are skyrocketing food prices and surging unemployment. It is not an outbreak of democracy, as some have tried to portend."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/egypt_others_are_chaffing_under_BkCpvANbnuUd1MkjZA5hNI

Egypt, others are chaffing under Fed easy money policy
By JONATHON M. TRUGMAN
New York Post
Last Updated: 5:04 AM, February 13, 2011
Posted: 11:09 PM, February 12, 2011

Food Prices Soar, Creating Instability

http://bigpeace.com/jxenakis/2010/09/13/food-prices-soar-around-the-world-creating-instability/

Food Prices Soar Around the World, Creating Instability
Posted by John J. Xenakis
Big Peace
Sep 13th 2010 at 6:38 am