Thread by @annasergi

Operation #PlatinumDIA vs #ndrangheta clans & activities in Italy, Germany, Romania & Spain. A THREAD:
1) ONE PART of the operation is linked to membership of the 'Locale of Volpiano', Piemonte, linked to Platì, Calabria
europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/…‘ndrangheta-in-italy-and-germany

2) A SECOND part of the operation relates to drug trafficking organised from the same Piemonte area by the clan Giorgi 'Boviciani' (from San Luca, Calabria).

3) As for part 1: It all started with the cooperation of Domenico Agresta ('Micu MacDonald') young up&coming boss of the locale of Volpiano made of 'ndrine from Platì. Micu started talking in 2016 and confirmed how Volpiano works. Action against individuals today stems from that.

4) As for part 2 it covers international drug trafficking, including some members of the locale of Volpiano as identified above. This with links to clan Giorgi that in Uberlingen and Baden Baden, Germany, is allegedly using trucks to import cocaine & laundering money.

5) In Baden-Wurttemberg, according to Italian police, there are 154 alleged Italian mafia members of which 81 are ndranghetisti. They are majorly in the area of Konstanz. Activities (ie restaurants) linked to the Giorgi clan in Uberlingen and Baden Baden in Erfurt were found.

6) @Eurojust has been pivotal in setting up a Joint Investigation Team between units in Torino and Konstanz; the German tax agency in Ulm joined the JIT later to investigate companies linked to the Giorgi affiliates/associates.

7) the JIT investigated cross-border drug trafficking in Spain, so investigative support from Spanish judiciary police was sought too. Investigations in Belgium and Netherlands were also needed - as drug trade in Northern Europe exploits the proximity of national boundaries.

8) The organisation of the Giorgi 'network of drug trade' is hierarchal, with attribution of specific tasks to affiliates, but also very broad. There are a number of key transit areas, in Sardinia for example - as a 'neutral/promising criminal market', for the network.

9) even if involved heavily in drug trade, this clan seems to also constitute to other shared goals typical of the #ndrangheta in Calabria, with a 'common pool of money' for the whole clan to reinvest + a system to collect payments (as they act as importers for other groups)

10) two of the Giorgi clan were present/involved in the Duisburg massacre of 2007 (for the San Luca feud). The clan is today believed to have access to weapons as they did before. Here the charge is for drug trafficking association (not mafia membership).

11) as importer/high distributors making day trips through Germany Netherlands Belgium to procure cocaine from brokers of Romanian, Colombian, Albanian origin - with 'doors' in ports in Spain, Rotterdam, Genova - they use the 'pizza collection' option journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11…

12) not everything comes easy to this group - the shipments might be late, plans change last minute + they collect money from various. As they act as both importer and high distributors they have problems with stockage and movement of cocaine to various locations in Italy

13) their basis in Piemonte is helpful for the closeness to Genova port and the borders. The investments of proceeds of crime are in commercial entities throughout Italy, the move drugs in various Italian regions too (Sardinia, Emilia Romagna, Sicily)

tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…

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