Italian Mafia Popped for Gambling Ring - 2B Euros Seized - Druff Has Fit Over Civil Forfeiture

[4Dragons]

ROME (Reuters) - Italian police said on Wednesday they had seized assets worth 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) and issued 41 arrest warrants in raids on gambling companies in Italy and abroad run by the 'Ndrangheta mafia organization.


Police believe the firms, including six that were operating out of Malta, were used to launder vast sums of illicit cash.


Italy's mafia groups, including the 'Ndrangheta from the southern region of Calabria, the Camorra from Naples and Sicily's Cosa Nostra, have strengthened their grip on southern Italy's economy and spread to the richer north during a three-year economic slump.


Among the targets of Wednesday's operation were 1,500 betting shops, 82 gambling websites, 45 Italian companies and 11 foreign firms, as well as "innumerable" property assets, the financial police said in a statement.


Apart from the firms run from Malta, two were in Spain, two in Romania and one in Austria.


The Calabrian mafia has grown rich on the drugs trade, becoming one of Europe's biggest importers of South American cocaine, with strong ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels.


It also runs companies in sectors including trucking and hospitality, with a stranglehold on the economy of Calabria, where unemployment is above 20 percent.
($1 = 0.9146 euros)


https://ca.news.yahoo.com/italian-po...125536355.html

[gauchojake]

Since there are a lot of legal gaming companies based in Malta, I'm curious if any big names are involved in this.

[WillieMcFML]

i find it hard to believe that anywhere close to 2.2 BILLION DOLLARS in assets were seized

has there ever been a seizure of more than a billion dollars before?

[Benford]

i find it hard to believe that anywhere close to 2.2 BILLION DOLLARS in assets were seized

has there ever been a seizure of more than a billion dollars before?

Dunno about a billion or more, but there was $100 million seized from Los Angeles' Fashion District last year. Money launderers for El Chapo and the Sinaloas:

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/new...istrict-net-0/

$250 million once was seized in Mexico City from a Chinese dude that imported meth chemicals for production and export to U.S. Around 2007 or so..Zenli Ye Gon (??) He was a Vegas baller on top of all that, too..

[SrslySirius]

i find it hard to believe that anywhere close to 2.2 BILLION DOLLARS in assets were seized

has there ever been a seizure of more than a billion dollars before?

I'm curious about that as well, and I can't find anything close to a billion.

How much is 54 tons of marijuana worth? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Train_Seizure

EDIT: Here's one for supposedly 750 million Euro in cocaine, but you know how authorities like to inflate street values when making these busts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Seabight

[Benford]

54 tons of dope seized in 1978 was probably $50 million (guessing $500/pound wholesale bulk)

"Among the targets of Wednesday's operation were 1,500 betting shops, 82 gambling websites, 45 Italian companies and 11 foreign firms, as well as "innumerable" property assets, the financial police said in a statement."

This two billion seized in Europe was spread out among a vast number of properties. The Chinese meth guy in Mexico City's seizure was far more impressive because it was hundreds of millions in cash in one single building. It even brings Walter White to shame:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhenli_Ye_Gon

[tyde]

Here's one for supposedly 750 million Euro in cocaine, but you know how authorities like to inflate street values when making these busts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Seabight

I instantly Googled '1 Billion Dollar Seizure' when Willie posted that question, and that was a top 5 listing on page 1

just about the same moment I saw the article, my first thought was instantly 'obv Thomas will be posting this exact link within a few milliseconds'

congratulations on having a rudimentary understanding for basic search engine navigation

[Sloppy Joe]

I'm always floored by the sheer magnitude of some of these operations.

Always been fascinated by organized crime. 'Ndrangheta is especially compelling.

[MumblesBadly]

The Chinese meth guy in Mexico City's seizure was far more impressive because it was hundreds of millions in cash in one single building. It even brings Walter White to shame:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhenli_Ye_Gon

I must admit: I almost jizzed seeing this pic.

[Benford]

I must admit: I almost jizzed seeing this pic.

Here's a 20-second video and a better look. Well over two full tons weight (over 4,000 lbs) of $100 bills:

http://www.snotr.com/video/367/207_million_dollars