According to NBC News, citing the international policing agency of the European Union, over 130 individuals were arrested in coordinated international mafia raids involving 10 countries.
Police in Europe and South America coordinated to arrest over 100 people Wednesday in a wave of raids on the ‘ndrangheta, a notorious Italian crime group that’s arguably the world’s well funded.
In total, 132 people were arrested across 10 countries in an operation that involved 2,770 officers, according to NBC News, citing the international policing agency of the European Union.
“Members of one of the world’s most powerful criminal networks have been taken into custody,” said Europol, which referred to the Wednesday operation as the “largest-ever coordinated hit” against the crime group.
“The mafia-style organization is responsible for much of Europe’s cocaine trade, combined with systematic money laundering, bribery, and violence,” the statement continues.
The Carabinieri, a branch of Italian law enforcement, said it arrested 108 people on charges including international drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons possession.
Arrests were also carried out in Germany, Belgium, France, Portugal, Romania and Spain, as well as in Brazil and Panama. -NBC News
Of note, officers in Munich raided a car wash that was being used as a front for mafia activity.
According to a new report, an Indian-origin man named Tangaraju Suppiah will be executed in Singapore over drug trafficking.