04:53
Apr 30
A Mafia-run illegal gambling ring which did more than $ 5 million in just 2 years has been destroyed in southern Italy, with 71 people face charges ranging from criminal association to money laundering…
The criminal group based in the small town of San Severino Marketnear Salerno, is supposedly run by the Venous-Schiavone faction of the Casalesi Clan.
The Casalesi clan, based in northern Naples, became famous for Roberto Saviano’s best-selling book ‘Gomorrah’ and the award-winning film of the same name.
He has been charged earlier mafia association, extortion, intimidation, fraud, drug trafficking and trafficking, illegal possession of weapons and receipt of stolen goods, as well as numerous murders..
This latest bust, however, focuses on illegal online gameswith a heritage value 3 million euros ($ 3.24 million) seized by 11 websites and two offices.
The group supported by the Camorra had been use .eu and .com domain names illegallyItalian law only allows state-licensed online betting companies through their Customs and Monopoly Agency (ADM).
Reports indicate that up to 71 people are investigating the charges filed by prosecutors Giancarlo Russo i Francesca Fittipaldi from Local Anti-Mafia Directorate of Naples (DDA).
The news of the bust follows the mass of last year Double Operation Game he hit the mob-led games of chance, which got compensation 88.65 million euros ($ 95.8 million) in illegal money across the EU.
He Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigated 336 people in the Italian regions of Sicily, Puglia, Emiliana Romagna, as well as Germany, Poland and Malta.
The OCRCR report said “Maltese online gambling is an infamous money cow” for Italian criminalswith the Clan Santapaola-Ercolano run an empire of illegal gambling while basing its servers in Malta.
Authorities say organized crime syndicates have infiltrated the market by making deals with legitimate site owners, with Santapaola-Ercolano’s version giving more than 62 million euros.
Previous operations have uncovered numerous links between Italy and Malta, with the Anti-Mafia Investigation Department (DIA) pointing to 2018:
“Thanks to a privileged tax system and a fast-paced business start-up process, Malta has in recent years attracted large investments, even from Italian criminal organizations.”
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