Did Mafia Launder Billions in Italy?

Law enforcement in Italy has seized assets worth €2 billion (US$2.2 billion) in raids on gambling operations. Betting shops, gaming websites and other firms are alleged to have laundered vast amounts of cash.

Bases in Malta, Spain, Romania, Austria

Italian police have issued 41 arrest warrants and seized billions of dollars in assets in raids on gambling operations throughout the country and abroad reportedly run by the ‘Ndrangheta Mafia organization, according to Business Insider.

The website reported that Mafia groups also including the Camorra from Naples and the Cosa Nostra from Sicily have regained power in Italy during a three-year economic decline.

Police raided some 1,500 betting shops, 82 gaming websites, 45 Italian companies and 11 foreign firms, they said in a statement. Some of the operations were run from Malta, and others from Spain, Romania and Austria.

Business Insider reports that the Calabrian Mafia is also deeply involved in the drug trade and has strong ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels. It has seized the opportunity to operate in Calabria, where unemployment exceeds one-fifth of the working population.