Italy: Police arrest more than 30 suspected mafiosi

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Police car in front of a bullet-riddled street sign in Vibo Valentia, Calabria

Photo: Gianluca Chininea / AFP

Investigations by the Carabinieri and the Financial Police in Bergamo, northern Italy, have led to searches and arrests across Italy.

33 suspected members of the Calabrian mafia, the 'Ndrangheta, were arrested.

They are suspected of having engaged in money laundering, usury and receiving stolen goods.

The investigators ordered searches in twelve provinces from northern to southern Italy and on the island of Sardinia.

They also confiscated goods with a total value of around 6.5 million euros.

In order to launder illegal income from the Arena clan, entrepreneurs issued false invoices worth around 20 million euros, reports the newspaper Fatto Quotidiano.

At least seven companies in Lombardy, Umbria and Calabria are said to have been involved in the fraud.

Accountants who have worked out ways of tax evasion are also involved in the criminal activities.

An employee of the tax authority is under investigation for corruption.

In Italy, the police repeatedly arrest suspected mafia members in large-scale operations.

Last Thursday, the financial police reported the arrest of 202 suspected mafiosi and helpers of the 'Ndrangheta.

Among those arrested were politicians and high-ranking local authorities.

ala/dpa