1 hour ago
Italian constabulary person dismantled an alleged mafia-run underground slope that operated down a car-rental concern adjacent Milan, processing much than €110 cardinal successful fake invoices and moving astir €68 cardinal overseas done banks and cryptocurrency. The probe led to 30 court-ordered restrictions and the seizure of astir €21 cardinal successful assets, exposing fiscal ties betwixt Italy’s astir almighty transgression organizations.
Key Takeaways
- Italy’s Guardia di Finanza uncovered a mafia-linked slope processing much than €110 cardinal successful fake invoices.
- Investigators accidental the web moved €68 cardinal overseas utilizing banks, crypto exchanges and integer wallets.
- Italian authorities ordered restrictions connected 30 suspects and seized astir €21 cardinal successful assets.
Italian Mafia’s Secret Bank Moved €68M Abroad Using Crypto
ANSA reported that a car-rental concern extracurricular Milan allegedly served arsenic a concealed slope for immoderate of Italy’s astir almighty mafia organizations. Italian fiscal constabulary uncovered a transgression web liable for much than €110 cardinal ($128 million) successful fraudulent invoices and astir €68 cardinal ($79 million) successful planetary wealth transfers, immoderate involving cryptocurrency.
Announced Oct. 21, 2026, the cognition progressive arrests crossed aggregate countries and the seizure of astir €21 cardinal ($24 million) successful assets. Investigators accidental the underground banking cognition ran for astir 3 years.
A Car-Rental Shop With a Secret Banking Business
The Italian regular paper La Stampa detailed that Italy’s Guardia di Finanza identified the alleged office successful Pero, adjacent Milan, wherever prosecutors accidental 3 men, Giuseppe Piscioneri, Paolo Pelaggi and Luigi Mercadante, directed the operation.
The suspects reportedly maintained connections to the ‘Ndrangheta, Camorra and Foggia mafia organizations, moving alongside Chinese and Albanian associates. Investigators described a amazingly organized operation, implicit with spreadsheets tracking transactions, nonrecreational cash-counting machines, and couriers transporting tremendous amounts of money.
Fake Invoices, Real Cash and Cryptocurrency
The strategy relied connected businesses paying shell companies for services that ne'er existed. Those payments created mendacious expenses that could trim taxes, portion couriers returned currency to customers aft deducting commissions of 2% to 5%.
Money remaining successful institution accounts traveled done European banks earlier reaching cryptocurrency exchanges and integer wallets controlled by the network. Some transactions progressive the stablecoin USDT, a cryptocurrency designed to support a worth of $1. Authorities besides traced proceeds from cause trafficking and online cryptocurrency concern scams.
Mafia Money Funded Prisoners and Weapons
Investigators allege immoderate proceeds supported imprisoned mafia members and helped concern weapons purchases. The cognition resulted successful 16 detention orders and 14 house-arrest orders, with actions extending into Spain and Switzerland. More than 350 officers participated. A fiscal constabulary inspector besides faces corruption allegations involving a €3,000 payment.
The probe remains active, and the accusations person not been established astatine trial. Behind the car-rental storefront, prosecutors say, organized transgression had built a fiscal instauration of its own.
English (US) 