Brescia: blow to the 'Ndrangheta, 32 arrests and seizures for over 1,8 million euros
The links between the mafia group and a publicly exposed individual active in the Brescia community were also documented.
Brescia: blow to the 'Ndrangheta, 32 arrests and seizures for over 1,8 million euros
Yesterday morning investigators from the State Police (of the Central Operations Service, of the Flying Squad and of the SISCO of Brescia) and of the Guardia di Finanza (of the ICO Central Service and of the PEF – GICO Unit of Brescia) have carried out a precautionary custody order issued by the GIP at the Court of Brescia against 24 investigated, residents in the provinces of Brescia Milano, Reggio Calabria, Como, Lecco, Varese, Viterbo and in Spain, against whom the following has also been ordered: preventive seizure of financial assets and assets for over 1.800.000 euros.
At the same time the Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Brescia and of the territorially competent departments of the Arma have carried out a further precautionary measure always within the scope of the same criminal proceedings, against 8 investigated, among which also members of the above-mentioned 'ndrangheta-type criminal association, held to be variously responsible for the crimes of illegal possession of weapons, money laundering, usury and receiving stolen goods, aggravated by mafia methods, in addition to the crime of possession for the purpose of dealing narcotic substances.
The complex investigation, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Brescia - District Anti-Mafia Directorate, started in the month of September 2020, concerned the operation, in the Brescia area, of a criminal association of 'ndrangheta origin, originally from Sant'Eufemia d'Aspromonte (RC), resident for years in this province and linked by federal relations to the “Alvaro” gang, dominant in the Aspromonte area between the municipalities of Sinopoli and Sant'Eufemia d'Aspromonte.
The investigative activity has allowed us to reconstruct the organizational chart of the association which, by leveraging the intimidating power that derives from the associative bond, would have reproduced, in the Brescia area, a "locale" capable of carrying out the peculiar actions that characterise mafia-type associations, such as extortion, arms and drug trafficking, receiving stolen goods, usury and political-mafia electoral exchange.
In particular, during the investigations, the following emerged: the links and shared interests between the investigated group and other criminal groups of 'ndrangheta origin present in the Brescia hinterland, between which a relationship of mutual assistance aimed at carrying out a multitude of illicit conducts.
The following have also been documented: links between the mafia association and a subject with public exposure, active in the Brescia community, with whom the gang would have maintained relationships characterised by the typical pactum sceleris of the political-mafia electoral exchange, that is, the commitment to the electoral support of the clan with the future promise of mutual illicit economic advantages.
The pervasiveness of the criminal nature of the gang has also been demonstrated by the ability to penetrate prison facilities and convey messages to inmates, making use of the support of trusted and unsuspected people, such as that provided by a nun, who, on several occasions, would have acted as an intermediary between the associates and the subjects in detention, taking advantage of the spiritual role that allowed her to have free access to the penitentiary facilities.
At the same time, the investigated group would have demonstrated its ability to evolve its economic dynamics, taking on all the characteristics of modern criminal organizations operating in Northern Italy, combining traditional crimes with economic-financial crimes.
The associates would have, in fact, promoted, constituted and externally managed a plurality of "shell" and "filter" companies, operating in the scrap metal trade sector which, during the period of the investigations, would have issued against compliant entrepreneurs. invoices for objectively non-existent transactions for a total taxable amount of about 12 million euro, in order to allow them, net of the commission due to the association, to benefit from the reduction of their income and to launder the money resulting from the crimes committed.
The investigated subjects have been charged with preventive seizure measures, aimed at confiscation for equivalent, for a total amount equal to over 1.800.000 euro, as proceeds of the alleged criminal-tax and money laundering conduct.
Multiple searches are currently underway by 300 members of the three Police Forces, also extending to the provinces of Bergamo, Verona and Treviso, conducted with the support of modern technical means of the Central Operations Service of the State Police, the Central ICO Service of the Guardia di Finanza and the Carabinieri as well as canine units – for the search for weapons and drugs – and “cash dogs” – for the search for cash, in a security framework also guaranteed by the use of personnel from the UOPI of the State Police and specialized AT-PI soldiers from the Guardia di Finanza and the First Intervention Unit of the Carabinieri.
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