Italy's war with the mafia hit a breakthrough on Wednesday after police seized assets estimated to be at least two billion euros ($2.2 billion).
The target was the 'Ndrangheta mafia, the organized crime syndicate believed to control much of Europe's cocaine trade, Agence France Presse reported. The assets included 1,500 betting shops, online gambling sites and almost 60 companies, in addition to real estate properties, bank accounts, vehicles and insurance policies.
The police sting began when 28 people suspected of leading the organization were arrested in the southern region of Reggio Calabria. This led to 23 other arrests, which effectively paralyzed 'Ndrangheta's leadership in the course of the operation. The police announced that the group "recycled an enormous amount of 'dirty' money through the use of gaming accounts assigned to willing or unwitting people" and that "they bypassed the laws governing this sector, accumulating significant profits that were then reinvested in the acquisition of new companies and licences to further expand their activities."
Officials declared that the seizure of assets will cripple the notorious mafia, which many believe is the most powerful criminal organization not just in Italy, but in the whole world. Unlike the more well-known Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta is far wealthier and more powerful, with revenue reaching $60 billion in 2013, constituting at least three percent of Italy's GDP and eclipsing the combined profit posted by McDonald's and Deutsche bank, Al Jazeera previously reported. Its operations extend from Europe to as far as Colombia and Australia. The seized properties included villas and buildings located in Austria, Malta, Romania and Spain.
The Italian government has intensified the campaign against organized crime, being backed by a string of anti-mafia legislative reforms introduced since the 1990s, which allow state prosecutors to target assets of suspected criminals, The Guardian reported. Italian police already scored a similar breakthrough two weeks ago, when it seized more than $1.7 billion from a mafia family with close links to the Cosa Nostra.
