More than 100 arrested in international raids on notorious mafia group

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

Police across Europe and South America arrested more than 100 people Wednesday in a wave of raids against one of Italy’s most notorious organized crime groups. A total of 132 people were arrested across 10 countries, in a huge and complex operation involving 2,770 officers, Europol, the international policing agency of the European Union, said in a statement.

"Members of one of the world’s most powerful criminal networks have been taken into custody," said Europol, which described Wednesday's operation as the "largest-ever coordinated hit" against the 'ndrangehta, arguably the world’s richest organized crime group. "The mafia-style organization is responsible for much of Europe’s cocaine trade, combined with systematic money laundering, bribery, and violence," Europol said.

The Carabinieri, a branch of Italian law enforcement, said it arrested 108 people on charges including international drug trafficking, money laundering and possession of weapons. Arrests were also carried out in Germany, Belgium, France, Portugal, Romania and Spain, as well as Brazil and Panama.

Authorities have been waging an intense campaign against the ’ndrangheta in recent years, a huge multinational police operation that has made a string of arrests. In 2021 some 350 suspects went on trial in a specially-built courthouse in the Calabria region, the group’s heartland, with prosecutors submitting 15,000 pages of evidence. The region in the “toe” of Italy has long been associated with organized crime.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/arrests-europe-raids-italy-ndrangheta-mafia-group-germany-rcna82585

[lostnfound]

1. That's great. Now do the same for Russian mob.

Nothing in the US?

[BumRushDaShow]

2. I'm surprised we weren't involved in that

(we usually are - even if in an assisting role)

[marble falls]

3. As much as I hate the Patriot Act, a lot of good has come from it in the form of shutting down ...

... crime syndicates, especially pedophiles, and smuggling and theft rings. I'd be very surprised if the US wasn't involved and that there won't be arrests made here in the US as periphery to this police action.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. I have seen us involved in a lot of high profile arrests for cyber-crimes recently

with international partners working with us via INTERPOL. I think the slog that has taken our attention away from the lower-tech organized crime syndicates at the moment, is the uncovering of more Chinese "Police Stations" and looking for the source contact people (aside from the obvious Chinese government involvement).

[marble falls]

6. Those Chinese police stations ... I'd really like to hear the full story.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. There was a thread last month with some details

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143061456

including some found in Canada - https://www.democraticunderground.com/113336676

They apparently serve as "bases of operation" to surveil and harass those who they dub as "dissidents".

There was a CBC (Canada) report on them -

[AllaN01Bear]

4. good. but i wont cheer untill donald trump and mtg and cronies are brought in.