Seizure of assets worth 200 million euros of the boss of Cosa Nostra

Italian authorities have seized assets worth more than 200 million euros allegedly linked to the mafia and drug-trafficking network of late Cosa Nostra boss Matteo Messina Denaro.

Three people were arrested during a large-scale operation carried out in several countries, authorities said.

Messina Denaro was arrested in Sicily in January 2023. As the leader of Cosa Nostra, he was a of Italy’s most wanted criminals for more than three decades.

His downfall came when he sought treatment for cancer at a clinic. Eight months after his arrest, he died in prison at the age of 61 without trial.

The latest raids were part of a money-laundering investigation linked to drug-trafficking operations allegedly linked to Messina Denaro, authorities said.

The money was raised by reinvesting drug money accumulated since the 1980s in several countries in Europe and beyond. Investigators have identified eight companies believed to be linked to the criminal network. They have also identified gold and luxury properties in the most exclusive locations on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked security forces for “another heavy blow” to the mafia, saying the Italian government wanted to use the seized funds for “measures to increase the security of citizens” and would distribute the money to authorities to strengthen police work. /square

Source: prizrenpost