Italian mafia crackdown in Germany: Dozens arrested in joint raid
On Tuesday morning, hundreds of police officers carried out operations against the Italian mafia in four states in western Germany and in Italy. Several dozen mafia members were arrested in total.
What do you need to know?
- Where and when? On Tuesday morning, police operations were executed in four federal states in western Germany and in Italy.
- Why? The objective of the operation was to combat Italian mafias and other forms of organized crime.
- Who was involved? Several hundred police officers participated in the operation, which was a result of cooperation between German and Italian authorities.
Which mafias operate in Germany?
The operation carried out in Germany, specifically in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saarland, is the result of collaboration with Italian authorities in combating mafias and other forms of organized crime.
Based on the most recent information from the Ministry of the Interior (as of April 2024), in Baden-Württemberg, around 170 people are classified by the police as involved in organized crime. Active members of Cosa Nostra and the Camorra are among those operating there.
What crimes do the mafias commit?
The mafias exploit Baden-Württemberg’s strategic location to engage in criminal activities. They are involved in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, money laundering, and tax fraud.
