The Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta, Italy's biggest mafia due to its control of the European cocaine market, is now interested in getting into the fentanyl market, Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano said as part of his intelligence service brief Tuesday.
"Fentanyl is not a traffic limited to the US. In the EU there are signs in Portugal and GB. Our intelligence signals an interest of 'Ndrangheta even if they are testing the market to verify the advantages of their insertion in the market," he said during the presentation at Palazzo Chigi of the 'National Plan of prevention against the improper use of fentanyl and other synthetic opiates'.
Mantovano described fentanyl, which has ravaged the USA, as "thezombie drug, with as little as 1-2 milligrams potentially being lethal".
He said there had been "bad teachers" feeding the epidemic in the US, including man rappers.
Health Minister Orazio Schillaci announced more controls to keep fentanyl out of Italian users hands while Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said "we'll start off from teacher training to fight fentanyl" and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said "fentanyl has not arrived in Italy yet but it is a looming threat to our youth".
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said a national plan was needed to "wardoff the spread of fentanyl".
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