Italian mafia suspects arrested in Europe raids used Chinese money brokers: police
- Investigation stretched from Europe to South America as raids dealt ‘serious blow’ to notorious ‘Ndrangheta mob
- Network allegedly used Chinese money brokers in Italy and Colombia to arrange for funds to be moved to pay for drug deals
Police across Europe arrested more than 100 people on Wednesday in a massive crackdown that targeted 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 organised 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.