Major anti-crime sweep in Italy
ROME — Italian police on Tuesday carried out one of the biggest operations ever against the powerful 'ndrangheta crime organization, arresting 300 people including top bosses, and seizing million of dollars (euros) in property.
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The man believed to be the 'ndrangheta's top boss was picked up earlier in the day in a small town in Calabria, the southern region where the organization is based, police said.
Also arrested was the man in charge of the gang's businesses in Milan, where the 'ndrangheta has been making major inroads.
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The pre-dawn raids Tuesday involved some 3,000 police across the country. Charges include murder, extortion, arms and drug trafficking and criminal association.
Investigators described the operation as one of biggest blows ever to an organization that today is considered more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia. Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the sweep struck at the heart of the 'ndrangheta in terms of both its organization and of its finances.
The sweep dismantled some of the most powerful families in the organization, Italian news agencies said. It also enabled investigators to shed light on the 'ndrangheta structure and power hierarchy.
The biggest operation was in the Milan region of Lombardy, where 160 people were reportedly arrested. They included businessmen and the director of state medical services in the city of Pavia.
The last big operation against the Calabrian mob dates to the 1990s. Since then it has expanded its power, not only in Italy but in such countries as Germany.
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