Ndrangheta in Emilia, 330 million euro mega seizure and 9 arrests

An anti-mafia operation carried out overnight by the Carabinieri led to the arrest of 9 people and the seizure of assets worth over 330 million euros. The action, codenamed "Æmilia," involved over 300 personnel from the Provincial Commands of Modena, Parma, and Reggio Emilia and the Special Operational Group, supported by helicopters and canine units.

The precautionary measures, issued by the Preliminary Investigation Judge of the Bologna Court, target individuals believed to be members or supporters of the 'Ndrangheta in Emilia, active in the provinces of Reggio Emilia, Parma, Piacenza, Modena, Verona, Mantua, and Cremona. Numerous companies were seized, including "Consorzio Europa," "SAVE Group S.r.l.," "SAVE Engineering S.r.l.," and the "La Para" nightclub in Parma.

The operation represents a new development in the "ÆMILIA" investigation, which had already led, on January 28, to the arrest of 117 out of 224 suspects, dismantling a criminal organization of 'Ndrangheta style with its epicenter in Reggio Emilia.

The infiltration of the 'ndrangheta in Emilia-Romagna has deep roots and represents a phenomenon of territorial expansion of Calabrian organized crime towards the regions of Northern Italy. The Emilian organization, although structurally autonomous, is a historical offshoot of the powerful "GRANDE ARACRI" clan from Cutro, in the province of Crotone, Calabria.

This expansion occurred progressively through strategies of settlement in the local economic fabric, with the establishment of fictitious companies registered to frontmen to launder large sums of illicitly obtained money. The "ÆMILIA" investigation, coordinated by the Bologna District Anti-Mafia Directorate, had already highlighted in January the infiltration capacity into various sectors of the local economy, leading to numerous arrests.

The new investigative phase has updated the picture of the group's illicit business strategies, demonstrating how the Emilian branch continued to operate autonomously but in connection with the clan of origin, using companies in Italy and even in Malta ("SAVE International LTD") to conceal illicit capital and reinvest it in legal activities, thereby consolidating the mafia presence in the territory.