mafia

  • Switzerland to Prioritize Fight Against ‘Ndrangheta in 2020

    Switzerland’s Federal Police Office (Fedpol) deported two Italian citizens suspected of involvement in organized crime in 2019, marking the first time individuals have been forcibly expelled from the country on national security grounds because of their alleged ties to the mafia, according to German-language newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

  • Italian Police Nab Over 300 in Largest Anti-Mafia Raid in 35 Years

    Italy’s police said Friday that 334 mafia-linked suspects were detained in an early Thursday morning operation that was conducted simultaneously in four countries. Among the suspects are prominent politicians, lawyers, accountants and a police chief.

  • Croatian Police Busts Network of Document Forgers

    Croatianpolice arrested on Wednesday 23 people, including police officials, suspected of being members of an organized crime group that forged documents. Media reports that the beneficiaries were members of two notorious mafia organizations from Serbia and Montenegro.

  • Italy: 71 ‘Ndrangheta Arrests in the Rich North

    Italian authorities have announced the arrest of 71 suspected members of the country’s most powerful crime syndicate on drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

  • Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Named to Vatican Court After Raid

    The Vatican has appointed one of Italy’s top anti-mafia prosecutors to head its criminal tribunal, just days after raids were carried out in the Holy See over alleged financial wrongdoing.

  • Russia’s New Mafia Crackdown

    Russia’s State Duma is considering a new law which would make it easier to prosecute the heads of organized crime networks who often avoid direct involvement in crimes, creating a charge of “holding a high position in a criminal hierarchy.”

  • Inside the Mafia-Run Cocaine Network Shattered by European Police

    A two-year investigation culminated this week with 90 arrests, splitting wide open a mafia coalition that trafficked drugs to Europe from across the world. Here’s how the clans ran it.

    Masked police stand in an ice parlor in Duisburg, western Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018 as authorities conduct coordinated raids in Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands in a crackdown on the Italian mafia. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)Masked police stand in an ice parlor in Duisburg, western Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018 as authorities conduct coordinated raids in Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands in a crackdown on the Italian mafia. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)

  • Sicily: Police Nab Top Mafia Boss, 80, and 45 Henchmen

    Italy’s military police descended upon Palermo, Sicily at the break of dawn Tuesday to arrest the alleged leader of Sicily’s notorious Mafia, also known as the Cosa Nostra, ANSA reported.

  • Italy Seizes $1.7b in Mafia-Linked Property

    Italian authorities have seized €1.5 billion ($US 1.7 billion) in assets from the heirs of a late businessman who had allegedly built his wealth on funds provided by Sicily’s notorious Cosa Nostra organized crime group, the country’s Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate (DIA) announced Saturday.

  • Trial Against “Cadillac Frank” Tells Many Tales of New England Mafia

     Federal prosecutors accused a former mob boss of murdering a witness during the start of a high-profile murder trial in the Boston Federal Court on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The jury was presented with testimonies and narratives that dove into the complex history of New England’s mafia.

  • London Apartments Show Ongoing Ties of Odesa Mayor to Oil Mafia

    Odesa mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov denies links to his former colleagues from the city's notorious "Oil Mafia." But the purchase of a luxury property in London could indicate otherwise.

    Oxford Street, central London. A few minutes’ walk away are a number of properties connected to members of Odesa’s “oil mafia.” Oxford Street, central London. A few minutes’ walk away are a number of properties connected to members of Odesa’s “oil mafia.”

  • Witness: Killed Canada Mafia Boss was at Odds with Son-in-Law

    The granddaughter of Italian mafia boss Rocco Zito told a Toronto court on Monday that one week before he was killed, Zito, 87, was no longer on speaking terms with his son-in-law, who has been accused of the murder, the Star reported.

  • The Odesa Mafia’s Secret Flats in London

    In the 1990s, “Angert’s Gang” in Odesa, Ukraine, was a powerhouse of crime. It diverted fuel sales from the reliably corrupt Odesa Refinery, extorted local businessmen, and even arranged the murders of local enemies and politicians.

    Mayor of Odessa, and former member of the "Oil Mafia," Gennadiy Trukhanov.Mayor of Odesa, and former member of the "Oil Mafia," Gennadiy Trukhanov.

  • Italy Arrests Gang that Hid Cocaine Among In-flight Meals on Planes

    The cocaine would leave the Dominican Republic hidden among the in-flight meals on passenger planes flying from the La Romana airport of Santo Domingo to the Milan Malpensa airport in Italy.

  • Anti-Mafia Bust in Italy and Germany Snares 37 Sicilian Mobsters

    Italian police announced on Wednesday that they have seized 11 million euros (US$ 13 million) in assets and arrested 37 people, including two Italian Carabinieri officers, who were allegedly involved in mafia-type extortion related to fruit, fish and drugs.

  • Italy Arrests the "Queen of Narcos"

    Dressed in shorts and acting as tourists, agents kept their eyes peeled on the villa in the village of Thiene, near Vicenza, for a whole week, carefully following the moves of the woman who was taking care of the old lady living there.

  • An Armed Group in Libya May Be Stopping Migrant Boats from Leaving

    An armed group, allegedly led by a "former mafia boss," is preventing migrant boats from leaving Libya for Italy, media reported Monday.

  • Italy: Dozens Jailed for Mafia-style Crimes in Rome

    A Rome court sent 41 people to jailon Thursday for corruption, extortion and bid rigging, but dismissed claims by prosecutors that the gang was amafia organization.

  • How the Camorra Went Global

    “We’ve come here to kill you tonight. Perhaps you don’t get it? At the same time, we’ll also kill your son and your wife".

    These chilling words, spoken by a man associated with Italy’s brutal Camorra mafia, were recorded in a car by a hidden police microphone. Antonio Righi -- known as Tonino the Blond -- was threatening a broker to whom he had given more than €200,000 on behalf of the mob.

    (Photo: Cecilia Anesi)(Photo: Cecilia Anesi)

  • Mafia Boss: “The State is Me.”

    ROME, Italy - On a hot night in early July, the southern Italian region of Calabria woke to the roar of helicopters and the wail of police sirens.

    Shrouded in darkness, more than a thousand policemen in full military gear swept the streets of 19 towns on the very toe of Italy’s boot, entering neighborhoods where they seldom go.

    (Photo: Eneas De Troya, CC-BY 2.0)(Photo: Eneas De Troya, CC-BY 2.0)