FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A wide-ranging international operation by the Guardia di Finanza of Palermo, coordinated by the Sicilian capital's Anti-Mafia Directorate, led to the arrest of three people and the seizure of assets, companies and financial assets worth over 200 million euros.
The operation took place simultaneously in Italy and in eight foreign jurisdictions, including Andorra, Gibraltar, the Cayman Islands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Lebanon, the Principality of Monaco and Spain. The operations were particularly focused on Malaga, Marbella, Benahavis and Puerto Banús on the Costa del Sol, areas long known as favourite destinations for international organised crime.
According to investigators, the financial system targeted by the authorities dates back to the 1980s, when the Trapani Cosa Nostra was at the height of its power in international drug trafficking. At the head of this network was Matteo Messina Denaro , known as "Diabolik", the mafia boss who spent nearly 30 years on the run before his arrest in January 2023 in Palermo. He died a few months later in a L'Aquila prison.
The Guardia di Finanza investigation made it possible to reconstruct a complex financial system created by the reinvestment of money obtained from drug trafficking. The capital, according to the authorities, passed through a network of "offshore" companies and front persons, to be then reintroduced into the legal economy in various countries.
According to the investigation, the financial network stretched from Verona to London, passing through Dublin, Cyprus and Malta. One of the main sectors where the funds were allegedly invested was that of renewable energy, particularly wind energy in Sicily.
The history of assets linked to Messina Denaro has previously led to large seizures. In 2013, the Trapani Court confiscated companies, land and properties of entrepreneur Giuseppe Grigoli, considered one of the main people used to hide the mafia boss's assets, worth 700 million euros.
Also, in March 2025, Italian authorities seized assets worth over 3 million euros belonging to Giovanni Luppino, Messina Denaro's driver, who was later sentenced to over nine years in prison for actively supporting the mafia boss's escape.
The operation comes at a time when anti-mafia prosecutors have raised the alarm about how criminal organizations are using global financial networks, tax havens and international conflicts to move money and evade legal controls.
At the center of the investigations remain some of the most well-known international money laundering hubs, such as the Cayman Islands, Andorra, Gibraltar, Luxembourg and Switzerland, while areas such as Marbella and Puerto Banús in southern Spain continue to be considered strategic points for organized crime investments in luxury and real estate.
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