Italian-German investigation nabs some 31 'Ndrangheta suspects
CBSN
A joint Italian-German police investigation into the 'Ndrangheta organized crime group led to the arrests of 31 people accused of drug trafficking, money laundering and "systematic" tax evasion on the part of Italian pizzerias and restaurants in Germany, authorities said Wednesday.
Europol and Eurojust, which coordinate law enforcement activities in Europe, said more than 800 police officers and tax officials were involved in the operation in Italy and Germany. Italian officials hailed what they described as a new model of cooperation and said experts from both countries formed a joint team to investigate the case, a job complicated by the encrypted phone systems the suspects used to communicate. Italy's leading anti-mafia prosecutor, Federico Cafiero De Raho, said the Turin-based investigation confirmed how deeply the 'Ndrangheta, which is based the Calabria region, had infiltrated legitimate economies. The suspects allegedly laundered proceeds from cocaine sales into front businesses such as tourist restaurants, car sales and food import and export businesses.Noumea — France's president held a flurry of meetings with local representatives in the restive Pacific territory of New Caledonia on Thursday, urging calm after deadly rioting, and vowing thousands of military reinforcements will stay in place to quell what he called an "unprecedented insurrection."
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