The mega operative, deployed in Europe, discovered that large amounts of money from the Ndrangheta mafia was ‘laundered’ in six countries, and one of them was Ecuador.
A policeman escorts a detainee in western Germany, after an operation against the Italian Ndrangheta mafia, on May 3, 2023.
A European operation delivered one of the biggest blows against the Ndrangheta , the mafia from Calabria (southern Italy), and its drug trafficking network from South America, including Ecuador.
Italy, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Spain participated in the mega operation, resulting in the arrest of 155 people in three countries. There are also 23 other arrest warrants to be executed.
This is an international operation with more than 2,770 agents involved, Europol reported in a statement on May 3.
During the investigations, it was possible to account for the trafficking of up to 280 kilos of heroin and 100 of cocaine from South America, specifically from Colombia.
Although there are also Ndrangheta connections with the Mexican Gulf cartel.
Money laundering in Ecuador
In addition, it was possible to trace a movement of money for USD 24.6 million, which passed through six countries, and one of them is Ecuador.
This money, in part, was reinvested in the purchase of cars and luxury items. And business activities in France, Portugal and Germany were financed, such as car wash companies.
But there are more details of the Italian mafia’s relations with the country.
According to Europol, Ndrangheta had business ties to the Albanian mafia, which operates in Ecuador and several European countries.
The first arrivals of Italian mafia operators in the country date back to 2009, according to PRIMICIAS.
The most powerful mob
The operation also revealed the incredible ramification of the Ndrangheta, the most powerful mafia in Italy, both in northern Italy, but also in countries such as Belgium and Germany.
Apart from drug trafficking, the criminal organization participated in the shipment of weapons of war from countries of the former Soviet Union to paramilitary formations in Colombia and Pakistan.
In addition, they supplied weapons to the criminal group PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital) in Brazil, in exchange for shipments of cocaine.
Each of the suspects is accused of mafia association, international drug trafficking with the aggravation of transnationality, arms trafficking, including war, and money laundering.
