The suspects face charges of money laundering, gang tax evasion, gang fraud, drug smuggling, and possession and trafficking of weapons.
In the context of a operation on a large scale in several European countries against the Italian mafia ‘Ndrangheta, more than 100 people have been arrested in Italy and Germany. Those arrested are charged with money laundering, gang tax evasion, gang corporate fraud, drug smuggling and possession and trafficking of weapons.
Italian carabinieri have made 108 arrests in various cities across the country. In addition, another 15 people have been arrested by the police in Genoa.
For its part, the German police have made about thirty arrests and dozens of house searches, as reported by the public prosecutors of Düsseldorf, Koblenz, Sarrebruck and Munich, as well as the regional investigation offices (LKA) of Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
Prosecutors have specified that the police operation is “a process related to Italian organized crime, directed against those responsible and members of the ‘Ndrangheta association”.
“The procedure is carried out by a joint investigation team in which Europol and Eurojust participate,” they added.
In Germany, the measures mainly focus on North Rhine-Westphalia And Rhineland-Palatinate (west), with about 500 agents in each of these states. In North Rhine-Westphalia they carried out 51 searches and 15 arrests, while in Rhineland-Palatinate 50 search warrants were issued and 10 arrests were made.
There have also been searches and arrests in Erfurt, Bavaria and Saarland.
Similarly, Spanish police have reported that a man has been arrested in Malaga, without giving further details.
Investigators of the so-called “Operation Eureka” believe the criminal group may have smuggled some 25 tons of cocaine and more than 22 million euros ($24.2 million) from Calabria to Belgium, the Netherlands and South America between October 2019 and January 2022 has channeled.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
