Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

European police arrest more than 100 mafia suspects in broad crackdown

European police arrest more than 100 mafia suspects in broad crackdown

Police across Europe arrested more than 100 people on Wednesday in a crackdown that dealt a “serious blow” to the Italian ‘Ndrangheta mafia, with suspects accused of drugs and weapons trafficking with counterparts in Latin America.
“Today’s raids are one of the largest operations carried out so far in the fight against Italian organized crime,” said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, adding they had “dealt a serious blow to the `Ndrangheta.”

The swoop was part of an investigation spanning Italy, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Romania, Brazil and Panama, according to European Union law enforcement agency Europol.

The network was devoted primarily to international drug trafficking from South America to both Europe and Australia, Europol said in a statement.

The network used Chinese money brokers in Italy and Colombia to arrange for funds to be moved to pay for drug deals, Italian police commander Massimiliano D’Angelantonio told a news conference.

The ‘Ndrangheta clans were also involved in running weapons from Pakistan to South America, supplying Brazilian criminal group PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital) in exchange for cocaine shipments, Europol added.

The ‘Ndrangheta, which has its roots in the southern Italian region of Calabria, has surpassed Cosa Nostra as the most powerful mafia group in the country, and one of the largest criminal networks in the world.

Some of the ‘Ndrangheta families targeted have been involved in clan feuds culminating in mass shootings, including the killing of six people in the German city of Duisburg in 2007, according to Europol.


MONEY LAUNDERING

Profits were recycled through real estate, restaurants, hotels, car wash companies, supermarkets, and other seemingly legitimate commercial activities.

Assets worth 25 million euros ($27.6 million) were seized in Italy, Germany, Portugal and France in “Operation Eureka,” launched in 2019 initially to investigate drug smuggling between Calabria and the Belgian city of Genk, according to Italian police.

“We think that among the arrests were several persons of a high value who played a huge role in the organization, not only in Belgium but in other European countries,” said Belgian federal prosecutor Antoon Schotsaert.

Belgian police said they had arrested 13 people.

A total of 108 people were arrested in Italy and other EU countries on the orders of police based in the southern city of Reggio Calabria, the Italian police said.

Related investigations led to the arrest of 24 people in Germany, they said, as well as a further 53 detentions in northern Italy. ($1 = 0.9076 euros)
Newsletter

Related Articles

Budapest Post
Close
0:00
0:00
Olaf Scholz Assures: No Cuts to German Welfare State Amid Budget Crisis
Greece and Turkey Agree to Reboot Relations After Landmark Talks in Athens
Greece and Turkey Agree to Reboot Relations After Landmark Talks in Athens
No. 10 Advised: Rwanda Plan Has '50% at Best' Chance of Success Before Election
Significant Shift: UK Voters Express Desire for Closer Relationship with EU Since Brexit
Sadiq Khan Appeals to Progressives for Support Amidst Concerns Over New Voting System
Sunak Faces Further Scrutiny in Covid Inquiry as Pranksters Claim Access to His Former Phone Number
NHS Issues Apology for Sending Incorrect Body for Family Cremation
Labour Intensifies Condemnation of Gaza Violence
Senior doctors' significant pay increase creates tension within NHS
Two distinct investigations into the Covid pandemic are underway in the UK, each adopting a contrasting approach
Stephen Fry Returns to Work Just Three Months After Stage Fall
Laura Kuenssberg Reports: Tory Party Divisions and Disputes Heighten Pressure on Sunak
UK's Generation X Skeptical About Retirement Prospects
EU Fiscal Agreement Sparks Disagreement Between France and Germany Over Investment Expenditure
EU Fiscal Agreement Sparks Disagreement Between France and Germany Over Investment Expenditure
UK Parliamentary Committee Criticizes Lackluster Post-Brexit Financial Reforms
UK Parliamentary Committee Criticizes Lackluster Post-Brexit Financial Reforms
US, UK, Canada Impose Sanctions on Dozens on Human Rights Anniversary The US, UK, and Canada have collectively imposed sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities for human rights abuses to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
US, UK, Canada Impose Sanctions on Dozens on Human Rights Anniversary The US, UK, and Canada have collectively imposed sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities for human rights abuses to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
"New Beginnings: Greece and Turkey Agree to Repair Relations
"New Beginnings: Greece and Turkey Agree to Repair Relations
Finland's Supreme Court Prevents Extradition of Russian Terrorism Suspect to Ukraine
Finland's Supreme Court Prevents Extradition of Russian Terrorism Suspect to Ukraine
UK Proposes Streamlined Financial Advice to Reduce Costs for Consumers
UK's Labour Party Conducts Review of Financial Services to Boost City's Growth Potential
London City Hall Condemns Blast Targeting Clean Air Zone Camera
Controversy Surrounds President Macron's Hanukkah Candle Lighting Ceremony at Elysée Palace
Venezuela Steps Up Claim on Guyana's Essequibo Region
Spain's First AI Model Earns Up to $10,000 Monthly
German Cabinet Works to Address 'No-Debt' Crisis After Court Outlaws Budget
Former President Restricted from Leaving Ukraine Amid Alleged Plan to Meet Hungary's Viktor Orban
Spain soccer kiss: Furore grows as prosecutors launch probe against federation chief
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Greek PM offers tourists affected by wildfires a free stay in Rhodes next year.
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
How “peacekeepers” at the UN spend our American tax dollars.
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
×