'Ghost bank' discovered, moving €100 million a year in drugs and goods

An illegal 'ghost bank' run by the

Chinese, Albanian and Italian mafia has been discovered in the

Tuscan city of Prato, allegedly capable of moving between €80

and €100 million a year in phantom payments for drugs and goods

between Italy and foreign countries.

Three criminal organizations allegedly benefited from it: one

for laundering drug money, one for international drug

trafficking, and the third for illegal Chinese immigration.

The bank used the untraceable Islamic payment system 'hawala',

known in China as 'chop-shop'.

It was used by Italian, Chinese, and Albanian clans, police

said.

The investigating judge ordered a seizure of €60 million and 41

precautionary measures, including 17 prison sentences and 16

house arrests.

According to the Florence DDA and the Prato prosecutor's office,

the investigations identified an organization capable of

providing financial services for both drug trafficking payments

and illegal goods transactions between Chinese companies, with

"high levels of professionalism and risk."

Between international drug trafficking and tax crimes, the DDA

estimates the illegal capacity at €80-100 million per year for

at least three years of criminal activity.

A dense network of money couriers and collectors traveled

between Italy and abroad—Spain, France, and Portugal—to

facilitate the payments.

To prevent drug money from circulating—at risk of seizure during

police checks in various countries—the transactions were also

conducted using cash flow (all "black") from Chinese

fast-fashion textile companies, based on the relationships

between the factories in Prato—Europe's main Chinese-run textile

district—and the production hubs on the Iberian Peninsula

(fast-fashion firms in Madrid, Malaga, Valencia, and Seville).

The prosecutor's office uncovered a close business connection

between the organization's top management—which acted as

financial brokers—and Albanian groups needing to launder drug

trafficking proceeds and who were its "clients."

The investigating judge found the aggravating circumstance of

mafia facilitation, also because the Briganti clan of Lecce

(Sacra Corona Unita), the 'ndrina Fiare-Razionale-Gasparro of

San Gregorio d'Ippona (Vibo Valentia), and the Camorra clan

Aquino-Annunziata allegedly received black market payment

services from the shell bank.

The group accused of illegal immigration from China consists of

Chinese nationals who smuggled their fellow countrymen into

Italy through Serbia, which is not part of the Schengen area and

does not require entry visas for Chinese nationals.

They were housed in Chinese hotels in Belgrade, then transported

to Italy via Hungary and Slovenia, with final destinations in

Prato, Turin, and Sommacampagna (Verona). They profited €9,500

from each migrant.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA