Italian authorities have seized more than €200 million believed to be part of the vast criminal fortune accumulated by late mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro through decades of international drug trafficking.
The operation, coordinated by Palermo’s anti-mafia prosecutors, led to the arrest of three individuals accused of money laundering and handling illicit funds linked to organized crime. Investigators say the money had been hidden for years through a network of companies and offshore accounts spread across nine countries.
According to prosecutors, the assets represent at least part of the enormous profits generated by Cosa Nostra’s narcotics operations dating back to the 1980s, when Messina Denaro emerged as one of the organization’s leading figures.
The coordinated international crackdown involved authorities in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Monaco, Andorra, Gibraltar and the Cayman Islands. Spain - long considered a strategic hub for European drug trafficking - played a central role in the investigation, particularly in the areas of Malaga, Marbella, Benahavis and Puerto Banus.