BERLIN: Germany remains an important location for mafia activities, a Green Party lawmaker said on Wednesday, as a huge police operation targeted members of Italy’s powerful ‘Ndrangheta Mafia in Germany and in several other European countries, reported news agency dpa.
“This is a long-prepared and hard blow against the mafia in Germany, which was only possible through international and networked investigations,” said Marcel Emmerich, the Greens’ representative in Parliament’s Interior Committee.
The reach of these criminal groups is enormous, Emmerich said, adding that their brutality and their networks are a still-underestimated security risk. “Over decades, Germany has become a safe haven for mafia billions, money laundering and tax evasion.”
“The raids must not hide the fact that Italian mafia organisations continue to operate their brutal businesses in Germany largely undetected,” the lawmaker added.
He said it was important to remain resolute in this regard, to strengthen structural investigations and the analytical capacity of the security authorities. – BERNAMA-dpa
