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Police car in Calabria (archive image)
Photo: Gianluca Chininea / AFP
The Italian police arrested more than 60 people in the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking.
The operation south of Rome in the coastal towns of Anzio and Nettuno was directed against the Calabrian mafia 'Ndrangheta, as the carabinieri in Rome announced.
39 suspects were taken to prison, 26 are under house arrest.
Among them are two officials who are said to have passed on information to the mafia.
This was one of the larger outings against the 'Ndrangheta in recent memory.
According to the police, the mafia operates in many parts of Italy, but also internationally, such as in Germany, Canada and Switzerland.
In their investigations since 2018, the mafia investigators said they found out that the clans wanted to gain control of the local economy and waste disposal through intimidation and infiltrated public administration.
In addition, two well-known bosses controlled the cocaine import from South America.
The mafia prepared the drugs in a laboratory in order to later sell them in southern Rome.
Overall, the judiciary accuses the suspects of international drug trafficking, extortion and illegal possession of weapons.
kha/dpa