Assets worth €2bn were seized and 41 people arrested in a series of police raids in Italy this week.
The raids, on gambling companies in Italy and in other countries, were aimed at the ‘Ndrangheta organised crime syndicate.
The companies, including six operating out of Malta, were used to launder huge sums of illicit money, police believe. The authorities are concerned that the ‘Ndrangheta group and other criminal organisations - such as the Camorra from Naples and the Cosa Nostra from Sicily - have increased their influence over southern Italy’s economy and are spreading their grip further north in the country, especially during the economic downturn of the past few years.
The police raids were targeted at 1,500 betting shops, 82 gambling websites, 45 Italian companies and 11 foreign firms. In addition to those in Malta, there were two companies in Spain, two in Romania and one in Austria.
