In a joint operation, police forces from Italy, Belgium and Germany on Monday arrested 31 suspected cocaine traffickers for the ‘Ndrangheta, a powerful Italian mafia mainly involved in the drug trade, Europol reported. More than 840 agents took part in the simultaneous raids, which led to 53 searches and the seizure of cash and other assets valued at 3.8 million euros ($4.1 million).
This operation is the result of an investigation conducted by Italian authorities between 2013 and 2018 into the activities of this criminal group. According to Europol, the suspects allegedly used an existing and well-established network to transport mainly cocaine from South America to Germany and Italy via several European ports. The police agency also noted that the organized crime group set up companies in Germany to facilitate drug smuggling and used international companies involved in the car and food trade to cover up drug transports.
In total, 18 suspects were arrested in Italy, eight in Belgium and five in Germany. The ‘Ndrangheta, considered Italy’s richest and most powerful mafia, controls the flow of cocaine into Europe and has expanded its activities to more than 40 countries, using companies and frontmen to launder illicit proceeds into the legal economy.
In early May, Europol announced the arrest of 132 people in another extensive operation in against this dreaded mafia. Consumption of cocaine produced in Latin America has risen sharply in Europe, with the continent becoming a preferred destination for drug traffickers, to the detriment of the United States. As evidence of this increase, numerous hermetically sealed packages of cocaine were found on the beaches of northwest France between the end of February and the beginning of March.