La Repubblica reports that Italian security forces have conducted a big operation against the assets of ‘Ndrangheta boss Antonio Ricci who is still a free man thanks to the ruling of a Maltese court that denied extradition.
In the Italian Guardia di Finanza operation, over 400 million euros of his assets that were requisitioned by order of the Court of Reggio Calabria.
Hidden behind two trusts related to him, the investigators found current accounts, real estate in Italy and abroad, a financial portfolio of hundreds of millions of euros, plus three Maltese companies “Oia Services Limited”, “Harvey Gaming Limited” (Already “Gvc New Ltd”) and “Wls Limited”.
Italian investigators said that Ricci’s entire heritage is the result of illicit business, gained in the great world of gaming and online betting.
A branch of business that the ‘Ndrangheta has been exploring for a long time and sees the most famous and ancient families of ‘Ndrangheta as the De Stefano – Tegano and the Pesce-Bellocco, who have found not only a gigantic opportunity to launder illicit capital, but also an extraordinary source of income. The system is simple and easy to hide in the web jungle, where the betting platforms certified by the National Games and Monopolies Agency are mixed with the clandestine ones.
These links of the Italian clans were uncovered in the Galassia operation and were all or nearly all in Malta and the “GVC New Ltd” and the “Oia Services Ltd” of Ricci, for investigators and investigators of Reggio Calabria were an integral part.
The two companies, both based in Malta, were responsible for a series of Data Transmission Centers (CTDs) and Points of Sale (PVR) that allowed them to play in Italy but outside the authorized and state-controlled circuit.
In that world it was the clans that dictated the rules and Antonio Ricci – say the magistrates Reggio Calabria – was one of the main players.
La Repubblica adds that Ricci was pursued for this by an arrest warrant, and had been tracked down and arrested as a fugitive in Malta last April, but his extradition was blocked by judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera, who decided against the court of first instance reject the request of the Italian authorities and his release.
Via La Repubblica
