Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/PARIS: Italian police said that they have dismantled a ‘Ndrangheta mafia ring dominating a significant place of southern Calabria and seized assets exceeding 250 million euros.
According to the AFP, the early-hour blitz by over 300 police centered on areas of Italy’s poorest region controlled by the Mancuso clan and its affiliates, a powerful branch of the infamous ‘Ndrangheta, many of whose top operatives are among hundreds of defendants in an ongoing maxi-trial.
Police strike blow to the Calabrian mafia
Police said that the 56 people, several already in prison, were put under criminal investigation for the series of crimes, including mafia-related conspiracy, extortion, kidnapping, and possession of arms.
Police said that besides alleged mafia personnel, the operation also snared business people, a regional councilor released from prison days earlier, the former head of the regional and global tourism board, and two civil servants.
The incarcerated boss of a clan, Luigi Mancuso, “The Supreme”, is the biggest fish in the mafia trial that started in January 2021.
Still, police said that his clan and affiliates, including the La Rosa and Accortini families, have continued to dominate activity in Vibo Valentia province on a toe of Italy’s boot, known as the ‘Coast of the Gods’ for stunning coastal views.
One mafia scheme involved infiltrating a foreign tour operator in Pizzo Calabro, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.
