An organised crime group active in the Salerno area in Italy has been taken down following actions by Italian and Croatian authorities, with coordination by Eurojust. Investigations into the group revealed the wide range of criminal activities from which they had been profiting, including drug trafficking, arms trafficking and migrant smuggling. The leader of the group was able to lead their activities from a prison facility. During actions taken in Italy and Croatia, 23 suspects were detained, including a Croatian arms dealer involved in the criminal activities.
Investigations revealed the dangerous poly-criminal nature of the criminal group. The organisation’s main activity was drug trafficking in the Sarno and Scafati area. They are suspected to have trafficked hundreds of kilos of cocaine. To control their territory, members of the group are suspected of acquiring various weapons, alongside engaging in extortion and commissioning violent acts for intimidation purposes. To gain even more illegal profits, the group also became active in facilitating illegal immigration by creating fake employment contracts. Over 1 000 applications for work permits or family reunification visas were successfully filed.
The group’s activities were led by one suspect who is currently in prison. While detained, he was still able to instruct the members of the group, telling them which entrepreneurs to extort and ordering violent acts to enforce the collection of payments or resolve disputes. The suspect also ordered a violent assault on another detainee, which was intended to force the victim to share a cell with the suspect so that the suspect could use the detainee’s cell phone to direct the criminal group.
Italian and Croatian authorities, working together through coordination by Eurojust, were able to identify a suspect who had supplied weapons for the criminal group. This arms procurement channel made it possible for group members to purchase several weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles. Earlier actions led to the interception of a vehicle transporting weapons from Croatia to Italy, the arrest of the responsible member and the seizure of multiple weapons and ammunition.
Follow-up actions by the Italian and Croatian authorities made it possible to detain 23 suspects, 19 of whom are currently in pre-trial detention, with the other suspects under house arrest. A European Arrest Warrant, prepared by Eurojust, was issued against a Croatian suspect.
The actions were carried out by the following authorities:
- Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Salerno; Central Operational Service of the State Police
- Croatia: Croatian Special Prosecutor’s Office (USKOK – Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime); County State Attorney’s Office in Zagreb
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union