Italian authorities conducted a sweeping raid targeting 142 individuals associated with the ‘Ndrangheta, the notorious Calabrian mafia. Among them, 109 were arrested, 20 placed under house arrest, and 13 subjected to other restrictive measures. Charges include involvement in “Ndranghetist association, drug trafficking, aggravated by the head of a mafia association,” and various other criminal offenses, as detailed in a police statement.
Dubbed as the “asphyxiated” traders, the operation unfolded at dawn, led by the carabinieri, police, and specialized agents in economic crime, under the auspices of the Catanzaro anti-mafia prosecutor’s office. The arrested individuals belonged to the entrenched clans of Cosenza, situated in Calabria’s southern region, namely the “Lanzino-Patitucci” and the “Zingari.” Notably, an official from the Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s customs and financial police, was also apprehended during the operation.
Vincenzo Capomolla, the prosecutor of Catanzaro, emphasized to the press that mafia syndicates were relentlessly extorting money from traders and entrepreneurs in Cosenza, significantly impeding their operations. Additionally, he highlighted their nefarious involvement in drug trafficking, even exploiting minors in their illicit activities.
