Malta Crime Clan Summit Plots Gambling Money Laundering

A summit of the Italian D'Alessandro clan was held in a five‑star hotel in St. Julian’s, Malta, to coordinate the laundering of proceeds from illegal gambling. The meeting involved clan figures Antonio De Simone and Maurizio Lopez, who have been linked to the illegal betting and slot‑machine operations in the Naples region, and representatives of the international betting platform Planetwin365.

The criminals created a Maltese‑registered holding company, Lode Bet S.r.l.s., nominally owned by their sons, to conceal assets and bypass anti‑money‑laundering controls. By securing a Maltese licence for online betting, the group aims to channel large volumes of illicit cash through the island’s offshore gambling market, reducing exposure to Italian authorities.

Italian financial investigators have documented the summit and the surrounding network of satellite agencies in Gragnano, Sant’Antonio Abate and the Sorrentine Peninsula, highlighting the cross‑border nature of the scheme and the potential threat to both Italian and Maltese financial systems.