Major Operation Targets 'ndrangheta Food Trafficking Network in Germany and Italy
Coordinated raids lead to multiple arrests, including a police officer, in a scheme involving gourmet food fraud linked to organized crime.
A significant law enforcement operation conducted on Tuesday resulted in the arrest of 29 individuals across Italy and Germany's Baden-Württemberg state, linked to a trafficking network operated by the 'ndrangheta, a major Mafia organization.
Among those arrested was a 46-year-old police sergeant, reportedly charged with assisting criminal activities and breaching confidentiality.
The coordinated effort involved the execution of 34 arrest warrants—14 in Germany and 20 in Italy—alongside 40 search warrants throughout various regions in Germany, including Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland.
The Stuttgart public prosecutor's office stated that the police officer's detention came following an arrest warrant stemming from allegations related to the criminal operation.
German authorities indicated that 19 main suspects in Germany are believed to have posed as managers of fictitious food companies that were fronts for 'ndrangheta operations.
These individuals solicited large quantities of high-value food products, encompassing items such as cheese, olive oil, and canned tomatoes, from suppliers in Hungary and Italy.
Orders were fraudulently placed through non-existent companies, leading to shipments valued in the hundreds of thousands of euros delivered to a purported warehouse.
The accused reportedly accepted the goods without payment and subsequently sold them to local restaurateurs, often under threat of violence.
This operation targeting the 'ndrangheta forms part of a larger international initiative, dubbed Interpol's Cooperation Against 'ndrangheta, which was launched in 2020. To date, this initiative has resulted in the arrest of over 100 suspects globally, with around 20 countries involved in collaborative efforts to combat the organized crime syndicate.
The 'ndrangheta is acknowledged as one of Italy's most dangerous and influential Mafia groups, deeply entrenched in the international drug trade and holding a significant position in the European cocaine market.
German law enforcement reports suggest that approximately 170 individuals in Baden-Württemberg are associated with various criminal organizations, including the 'ndrangheta, Cosa Nostra, and Camorra, with many residing in the Lake Constance and Stuttgart areas.
Among those arrested was a 46-year-old police sergeant, reportedly charged with assisting criminal activities and breaching confidentiality.
The coordinated effort involved the execution of 34 arrest warrants—14 in Germany and 20 in Italy—alongside 40 search warrants throughout various regions in Germany, including Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland.
The Stuttgart public prosecutor's office stated that the police officer's detention came following an arrest warrant stemming from allegations related to the criminal operation.
German authorities indicated that 19 main suspects in Germany are believed to have posed as managers of fictitious food companies that were fronts for 'ndrangheta operations.
These individuals solicited large quantities of high-value food products, encompassing items such as cheese, olive oil, and canned tomatoes, from suppliers in Hungary and Italy.
Orders were fraudulently placed through non-existent companies, leading to shipments valued in the hundreds of thousands of euros delivered to a purported warehouse.
The accused reportedly accepted the goods without payment and subsequently sold them to local restaurateurs, often under threat of violence.
This operation targeting the 'ndrangheta forms part of a larger international initiative, dubbed Interpol's Cooperation Against 'ndrangheta, which was launched in 2020. To date, this initiative has resulted in the arrest of over 100 suspects globally, with around 20 countries involved in collaborative efforts to combat the organized crime syndicate.
The 'ndrangheta is acknowledged as one of Italy's most dangerous and influential Mafia groups, deeply entrenched in the international drug trade and holding a significant position in the European cocaine market.
German law enforcement reports suggest that approximately 170 individuals in Baden-Württemberg are associated with various criminal organizations, including the 'ndrangheta, Cosa Nostra, and Camorra, with many residing in the Lake Constance and Stuttgart areas.
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