The State Attorney’s Offices in Palermo and Milan, along with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), have uncovered a criminal organisation linked to the Mafia and Camorra. The organisation allegedly evaded hundreds of millions in the VAT fraud, investigative sources revealed on Thursday.
At the request of EPPO, a Milan preliminary investigations judge issued 34 arrest warrants, nine house arrest orders, and four professional bans. Additionally, seven European arrest warrants were issued as part of the operation. Authorities seized assets worth €520 million.
Investigators found that false invoices totalling €1.3 billion were issued. The probe involves over 400 companies and 200 individuals. They face charges of money laundering and mafia-style criminal association aimed at tax fraud.
The investigation centres on cross-border VAT fraud in IT equipment sales and the laundering of illicit profits, sources said. Police conducted 160 search operations across 30 Italian provinces on Thursday. These operations extended to other countries. These included Spain, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Netherlands, and non-EU nations such as Switzerland and the UAE.
The Milan judge ordered the preventive seizure of assets worth €520 million, representing the alleged VAT fraud. This included properties worth over €10 million, such as resorts in Cefalù near Palermo. Other seized assets included real estate in cities like Milan.
The judge acknowledged aggravating factors for the alleged ringleaders, citing their support of Mafia and Camorra syndicates by investing illicit profits in VAT fraud. The use of mafia-style methods in internal conflicts between members of different criminal groups was also noted.
Earlier this year, a Mafia money-laundering ring was uncovered.
