More than 160 held in Italy mafia crackdown
Print Edition
Italian police yesterday arrested more than 160 alleged members of the 鈥楴drangheta mafia in what was hailed as a historic setback for the group behind much of Europe鈥檚 cocaine trade.
More than 40 arrests were made in Calabria, the secretive crime group鈥檚 southern homeland, but the bulk came in dawn raids in towns and cities across the much wealthier north of Italy, where it has spread its tentacles in recent years in order to launder huge drugs profits.
A total of 117 people were arrested in the region of Emilia Romagna, including six alleged bosses of a semi-autonomous clan that has spent the last 20 years infiltrating one of Italy鈥檚 richest and most productive areas, Bologna鈥檚 chief prosecutor Roberto Alfonso told a press conference in the region鈥檚 capital.
Franco Roberti, the national anti-mafia prosecutor, hailed the operation which led to yesterday鈥檚 arrests as 鈥渉istoric and unprecedented.鈥
鈥淚t is an impressive and decisive step against the mafia in the north. This is a deeply implanted and very dangerous criminal organization,鈥 he said.
The 鈥楴drangheta is considered the most powerful crime syndicate in Italy, having surpassed Sicily鈥檚 Cosa Nostra and the Naples-based Camorra thanks to its role as the principal importer and wholesaler of cocaine produced in Latin America and smuggled into Europe via north Africa and southern Italy.
That trade is worth billions and previous police operations have indicated that the 鈥楴drangheta has well-established links with Colombian producer cartels, Mexican crime gangs and mafia families in New York and other parts of North America.
The arrests were the latest in a series of high-profile operations which have confirmed the hitherto little-known expansion of 鈥楴drangheta across Italy from Calabria, the underdeveloped 鈥渢oe鈥 of the boot-shaped country.
Last week police made 31 arrests in Rome in connection with an alleged plot by a branch of the group to squeeze out other criminal gangs so that they could set the street price of cocaine in the Italian capital.
In November, dozens of alleged mobsters linked to the group were detained in and around Milan.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
