Carabinieri, Operation “Samba”: 23 arrests between Italy and Brazil for drug trafficking
The Brazilian investigations, conducted on two fronts in two different states, are respectively one called “Operation Mafiusi” and one called “Operation Conexão Paraíba”.
Carabinieri, Operation “Samba”: 23 arrests between Italy and Brazil for drug trafficking
In the context of international judicial and police cooperation implemented between Italy and Brazil since 2019, and in particular by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate at the Turin Public Prosecutor's Office, by the Carabinieri of the ROS and the Provincial Command of Turin, by the Brazilian Federal Police (Special Investigations Group of Paraná and Paraiba) as well as by the Federal Public Prosecutor of Paraná and Paraiba, were carried out last night, on both continents, 23 arrests in total (of which 5 in Italy and 18 in Brazil) concerning three distinct and connected criminal groups, dedicated to drug trafficking on the Atlantic route using cargo ships and money laundering.
The complex and detailed investigations were also conducted with the support of Eurojust, Europol, the Interpol I-Can project, the Italian DCSA, through the important coordination of the Italian National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate and with the support of the Italian Embassy in Brasilia, as well as the General Service for the repression of drug trafficking of the Federal Police (CGPRE) and the Brazilian Receita Federal.
During the various investigative phases, both operating Police Forces were also supported by the Spanish authorities of the Policia Nacional and the Guardia Civil.
The work, which was developed in cooperation since 2019, and which led, at the time, also to the arrest of former fugitives Assisi Nicola and Assisi Patrick, which occurred in Praia Grande (Sao Paulo) on July 8, 2019, has allowed, through a Joint Investigation Team (Joint Investigation Team) subsequently signed between the Public Prosecutor's Office of Turin and the Brazilian Authorities of the States of Paranà and Paraiba, to identify intimate connections between the Investigated Italian 'Ndrangheta areas, and their projections in Brazil, and aggressive criminal organizations supplying narcotics and operating in the south of the South American country, capable of supplying large quantities of narcotics together with the logistics necessary to send them to Europe, primarily through the ports of Paraná.
In particular, the Italian investigation, called “Operation Samba” and conducted, with the coordination of the Turin District Anti-Mafia Directorate, by the Carabinieri, has allowed the identification a large transnational criminal structure, which includes, among others, the 5 people arrested today, and close to the 'Ndrangheta operating in Piedmont, dedicated to drug trafficking on Brazil-Italy route, operating through hidden transport on container ships headed towards Italian and Northern European ports, for several tons of cocaine.
In the same investigative context, it has been possible, at present, to verify how the criminal organization used the logistical structure made available by Brazilian crime in the state of Paranà, also for move large amounts of money, with a view to laundering the huge proceeds.
For this reason, the Authorities involved have proceeded to seizures of movable and immovable property in both continents.
Furthermore, always in relation to the South American country, the Turin investigation has allowed to document how the Turin criminal group had, through of the former fugitive Pasquino Vincenzo, arrested in Joao Pessoa on May 24, 2021, right in the state of Paraiba, solid links with a criminal structure operating there through a complex system of companies functional to money laundering.
Yesterday, in Italy, the Carabinieri have seized several commercial establishments and properties in the province of Turin, believed to be connected to illicit proceeds. It is important to underline the extreme importance of this investigative activity, which for the first time saw the operation of a Joint Investigative Team (Joint Investigation Team) signed by a Public Prosecutor's Office of our country, namely the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Turin, and by the Judicial Authorities and Judicial Police of Brazil.
The absolute relevance of this investigative tool has also been the subject of discussion between the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor and the Federal Public Ministry of Brazil, who last September signed, during a targeted meeting in the city of Foz do Iguacu, a Declaration of Intent in which the will of a "mutual, coordinated and permanent cooperation aimed at developing agile and effective mechanisms for the fight against transnational organised crime and terrorism”, thus laying the foundations for the creation of new permanent Joint Investigation Teams which therefore go beyond individual investigations currently underway in the two countries and form the basis of an increasingly effective fight against such insidious forms of organised crime.
The Brazilian investigations, conducted on two fronts in two different states, are respectively:
- one called “Operation Mafiusi”, which has its origins in the Superintendence of the Federal Police of Paraná, (an offshoot of Operation Retis, launched in March 2022), which revealed the existence of a transnational criminal organization specialized in international drug trafficking, responsible for sending large quantities of cocaine to Europe, mainly using the port of Paranaguá in operations carried out by sea, but also operating in the air transport of drugs using private planes. With the profits obtained from drug trafficking, the Criminal Organization created a network of people and companies that ran a complex money laundering system, moving multi-million dollar sums through various bank accounts and operations with typical characteristics of concealment and dissimulation of the illicit origin of values, in addition to acquisitions of assets, issuing of false invoices, accounting structures and other various financial operations subsidized with resources from the drug trafficking and organised crime;
- one called “Operation Conexão Paraíba”, launched by the Superintendence of the Federal Police of Paraíba, result of the investigative work started after the arrest of two 'ndrangheta fugitives in the city of João Pessoa/PB. This investigation has revealed new branches of transnational criminal organizations, highlighting the strategic role of the state of Paraíba in the logistics and support of international drug trafficking and money laundering.
With the execution of the 3 operations, and the execution of the Carabinieri of 5 arrests and numerous searches with related seizures, the Brazilian Federal Police has carried out a total of 18 preventive arrest warrants in Brazil, an arrest warrant in Spain e 46 search and seizure warrants at addresses located in the Brazilian states of São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Roraima, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba.
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