Italian anti‑mafia raids seize assets, arrest 19 in drug network

The Palermo anti‑mafia Directorate dismantled a vast financial empire built by long‑time narcotrafficker Giacomo Tamburello, seizing assets worth more than €200 million. Investigators uncovered a network of companies spread across Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean, including holdings in Cayman‑registered Cinzano Ltd, Luxembourg‑based Bemo Europe Banque Privée, shares in Swiss multinationals, a stake in Lebanon’s IBL Bank and luxury properties in Spain. The seizure also involved twelve kilograms of gold bars and other valuable items.

In a separate but related sweep called Operation “Abisso”, the Catania anti‑mafia unit coordinated arrests in the provinces of Catania, Siracusa, Cosenza, Reggio Calabria, Lecce, Prato and Malta, detaining 15 suspects linked to the Cappello‑Bonaccorsi and Santa Panagia clans. Authorities confiscated about 25 kg of cocaine, hashish and marijuana, thwarted an attempt to retrieve an estimated 2 000 kg of cocaine off the coast of Catania, and seized assets valued at roughly €700 k. Both operations highlighted the continued reach of Sicily’s drug‑trafficking networks and the scale of their financial infiltration.