Italian-South American Narcotrafficking Network Dismantled: 15 Arrested in Major Drug Bust
Operation targets a cross-border drug trafficking organization with links to the 'Ndrangheta and significant figures in Italian organized crime.
In a sweeping operation coordinated by the Guardia di Finanza and Italian police, acting on directives from the Anti-mafia Directorate of Bologna, authorities have arrested 15 individuals across multiple Italian provinces.
This crackdown aims to dismantle a notorious Italo-Albanian criminal network implicated in an international drug trafficking scheme spanning continents.
The investigation spanned the provinces of Reggio Emilia, Rome, Venice, Brescia, Parma, Modena, Piacenza, Lucca, and Ravenna, unveiling a sophisticated operation that has, since 2020, imported and distributed significant quantities of illicit drugs across Italy.
The group reportedly sourced drugs from Albania, Kosovo, Ecuador, Colombia, and the Netherlands, trafficking 23 kilograms of cocaine, six kilograms of heroin, 80 kilograms of hashish, and 240 kilograms of marijuana, with an estimated market value of 8 million euros.
Among those arrested is Daniele Gatta, a 40-year-old Roman who is the son-in-law of the late Fabrizio Piscitelli, notorious in criminal circles as “Diabolik.” Also apprehended is Domenico Bolognino, the son of Michele Bolognino, a reputed figure within the 'Ndrangheta, Southern Italy's powerful organized crime syndicate.
Of the 15 arrested, 13 have been placed in custody, while two are under house arrest.
The operation has also led to measures against several Albanian nationals and individuals from Calabria, highlighting the transnational and cross-cultural nature of the network.
The investigation uncovered Gatta's involvement in an attempted drug deal in the spring of 2021, where he allegedly invested in an 8 kilogram cocaine shipment from Ecuador, projected as a precursor to further involvement.
Intercepted communications revealed that Gatta was seen by associates as financially robust, with speculations of having five million euros available for investment in the illicit trade.
The plan was to traffic the cocaine via Rotterdam into Italy.
An important meeting in Bibbiano, Reggio Emilia — identified as a logistic hub for the organization — included Gatta, who was purportedly a co-financier with a contribution of approximately 15,000 euros.
However, unforeseen complications in June foiled the importation attempt.
The investigation has painted a comprehensive portrait of an Italo-Albanian criminal entity leveraging encrypted communication tools such as SKY-ECC to coordinate their activities clandestinely.
Critical to the probe were contributions from French, Dutch, and Belgian law enforcement agencies, which have collectively busted a swath of narcotic-related communications across Europe.
Bibbiano served as the nerve center for the group's operations, with auxiliary logistical sites in Sassuolo and Polinago.
The network was also fed by drug supplies from Calabria, with a systematic distribution of heroin, hashish, and marijuana.
Investigators emphasized the 'high social danger' posed by the suspects, noting their strong familial ties to the Grande Aracri clan, an 'Ndrangheta faction deeply entrenched in Emilia-Romagna's criminal underworld.
The operation underscores the challenges faced by European authorities in combatting sophisticated transnational crime networks and the persistent influence of organized crime families in Italy's regional dynamics.
This crackdown aims to dismantle a notorious Italo-Albanian criminal network implicated in an international drug trafficking scheme spanning continents.
The investigation spanned the provinces of Reggio Emilia, Rome, Venice, Brescia, Parma, Modena, Piacenza, Lucca, and Ravenna, unveiling a sophisticated operation that has, since 2020, imported and distributed significant quantities of illicit drugs across Italy.
The group reportedly sourced drugs from Albania, Kosovo, Ecuador, Colombia, and the Netherlands, trafficking 23 kilograms of cocaine, six kilograms of heroin, 80 kilograms of hashish, and 240 kilograms of marijuana, with an estimated market value of 8 million euros.
Among those arrested is Daniele Gatta, a 40-year-old Roman who is the son-in-law of the late Fabrizio Piscitelli, notorious in criminal circles as “Diabolik.” Also apprehended is Domenico Bolognino, the son of Michele Bolognino, a reputed figure within the 'Ndrangheta, Southern Italy's powerful organized crime syndicate.
Of the 15 arrested, 13 have been placed in custody, while two are under house arrest.
The operation has also led to measures against several Albanian nationals and individuals from Calabria, highlighting the transnational and cross-cultural nature of the network.
The investigation uncovered Gatta's involvement in an attempted drug deal in the spring of 2021, where he allegedly invested in an 8 kilogram cocaine shipment from Ecuador, projected as a precursor to further involvement.
Intercepted communications revealed that Gatta was seen by associates as financially robust, with speculations of having five million euros available for investment in the illicit trade.
The plan was to traffic the cocaine via Rotterdam into Italy.
An important meeting in Bibbiano, Reggio Emilia — identified as a logistic hub for the organization — included Gatta, who was purportedly a co-financier with a contribution of approximately 15,000 euros.
However, unforeseen complications in June foiled the importation attempt.
The investigation has painted a comprehensive portrait of an Italo-Albanian criminal entity leveraging encrypted communication tools such as SKY-ECC to coordinate their activities clandestinely.
Critical to the probe were contributions from French, Dutch, and Belgian law enforcement agencies, which have collectively busted a swath of narcotic-related communications across Europe.
Bibbiano served as the nerve center for the group's operations, with auxiliary logistical sites in Sassuolo and Polinago.
The network was also fed by drug supplies from Calabria, with a systematic distribution of heroin, hashish, and marijuana.
Investigators emphasized the 'high social danger' posed by the suspects, noting their strong familial ties to the Grande Aracri clan, an 'Ndrangheta faction deeply entrenched in Emilia-Romagna's criminal underworld.
The operation underscores the challenges faced by European authorities in combatting sophisticated transnational crime networks and the persistent influence of organized crime families in Italy's regional dynamics.
Translation:
Translated by AI
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