A farmer from Upper Austria is said to have links with the Italian mafia and with their help set up a network for the marketing of fruit and vegetables. The 67-year-old was searched on Tuesday.
According to Europol, 43 people were arrested on Tuesday in large-scale anti-mafia raids in Italy, Germany and Austria against the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta. They are charged with fraud, money laundering, extortion and murder, authorities report. According to the Italian authorities, the detectives are also targeting a man Upper Austria devices. However, according to Steyr’s public prosecutor’s office, he is at large.
Just for fruits and vegetables
It would be a 67-year-old Upper Austrian. Thanks to the ‘Ndrangheta, he is said to have set up a network for marketing fruit and vegetables. Detectives from the federal criminal investigation department raided the farmer on Tuesday morning. The raid took place on the basis of a request for legal assistance from the Italian authorities. “There is no investigation against the man in Austria,” said Steyr’s public prosecutor. The man was not arrested during the raid.
43 arrests
Some local politicians are also involved in the investigation, including the former president of the Calabria region, Mario Oliverio. According to Carabinieri boss Pasquale Angelosanto, the clans also had interests in Austria and Germany, especially in gastronomy and trade.
A total of 43 people were arrested in the raids. An additional 100 suspects are being investigated. About 1,000 agents were deployed in all three countries, according to Europol. According to the European Police Authority, 16 companies, 25 properties and 15 vehicles worth more than five million euros were seized in the transnational action.
Hacking for the mafia
In addition, prosecutors found that the ‘Ndrangheta clan, with the support of German hackers, managed to carry out fraudulent banking and financial transactions by trading through secret platforms. Blocked bank accounts abroad could be emptied by the hackers.
26 members of a Palermo clan were arrested. At the head of the criminal organization was a boss imprisoned in Palermo, who coordinated the illegal activities of the organization from the penitentiary. Among other things, the clan is accused of drug trafficking. The raid on Tuesday involved 220 police officers. Several house searches were carried out.
The Monza Carabinieri have since dismantled a criminal organization that specializes in international drug and arms trafficking and money laundering. 30 people – 26 Italian nationals and four Moroccans – were arrested in various Italian cities such as Milan, Trieste and Udine.
Drugs from South America
The drugs came from South America and ended up hidden in containers in the southern Italian port city of Gioia Tauro. The criminal organization had its base in Milan, where one of the main suspects was in charge of maintaining all the connections necessary to complete the drug deals, while also liaising with the accomplices in southern Italy, essential for the transport of the drugs from the port.
The investigations led to the reconstruction of numerous drug deals that sold a total of 3,051 kilograms of hashish and 374 kilograms of cocaine.
Source: Krone
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