Italian authorities have cracked down on one of the largest money laundering networks linked to the Sicilian mafia, seizing assets worth around 200 million euros that allegedly belonged to drug trafficker Giacomo Tamburello, one of the most loyal associates of former mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro.
The operation by the Guardia di Finanza and the Palermo Prosecutor's Office uncovered a financial empire hidden in several European countries, but also in Lebanon and the Cayman Islands. Tamburello was arrested in the province of Trapani, while his ex-wife and son, Maria Antonina Bruno and Luca Tamburello, were also arrested in Spain.
According to the investigation, the 66-year-old had built a network of hashish trafficking from Morocco to Europe for decades. Two justice collaborators have stated that Matteo Messina Denaro received 10 percent of the profits from each drug shipment.
Investigators uncovered bank accounts, offshore companies, villas, apartments and dozens of luxury properties spread across Spain, Andorra, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Gibraltar, Monaco, Lebanon and the Cayman Islands. Among the assets seized were luxury cars such as a Porsche Carrera 4 GTS and a Land Rover Defender.
According to Italian prosecutors, the network used offshore companies and complicated financial transfers to hide the origin of drug money. The investigation began after authorities discovered that Tamburello's ex-wife, officially a housewife, had millions of euros in bank accounts in Luxembourg and Andorra.
National anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Melillo stated that the operation hits attempts to reorganize Cosa Nostra and its international drug trafficking networks.
