CROTONE (ITALPRESS) – Police operation against a transnational association dedicated to facilitating illegal immigration and money laundering. The investigations are coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Catanzaro, with the use of policemen belonging to the Central Operational Service of the Central Anti-Crime Directorate and the Crotone Mobile Squad, in collaboration with the Brindisi, Foggia, Grosseto, Imperia, Lecce Mobile Squad, Milan, Turin and Trieste, and with the participation of personnel from the Europol Agency and the Interpol Division. The restrictive measures were issued against 29 people accused of belonging to a transnational association dedicated to facilitating illegal immigration and laundering money from the illicit activity. The criminal conspiracy would be divided into cells present in Italy and abroad (Turkey and Greece), and whose members, albeit with different tasks, had a single objective, that of getting migrants to Italy by exploiting the Mediterranean sea route east, aboard sailing boats, departing from Turkey and Greece.
“The investigations by the State Police, coordinated by the Dda of Catanzaro, lasted almost 4 years and made it possible to hit a transnational organization dedicated to aiding and abetting illegal immigration with 29 precautionary custody orders in prison – issued by the investigating magistrate of Catanzaro and the laundering of sums deriving from migrants’ payments. The operational phase, directed by the Central Anti-Crime Directorate of the State Police, conducted in Italy by the Central Operational Service and by the Crotone Mobile Squad assisted by 8 other Mobile Squads throughout the national territory, also involved – subject to the involvement of Interpol and Europol – Turkey, Greece, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, England, Belgium and Morocco”, says the prefect Francesco Messina, central anti-crime director of the State Police.
“A criminal group capable of guaranteeing the arrival at their destination of thousands of migrants, in transit to Italy from the so-called Balkan maritime route, through the use of sailing ships driven by mostly Russian-speaking smugglers has been dismantled. The migrant’s arrival at their destination was guaranteed for a total price of around 10,000 euros; essentially a real illegal reception system had been created, organized between abroad and various Italian capitals, which also included food and lodging in the various stages (Crotone, Lecce, Brindisi, Foggia, Grosseto, Imperia, Milan , Turin, Trieste) and to which the migrants trusted completely”, concludes Messina.
– photo: State Police video screenshot –
(ITALPRESS).
