€3.2 MILLION IN CASH SEIZED, 34 ARRESTED

NAPLES, SEPTEMBER 22 /SRNA/ - Italian Carabinieri arrested 34 people and seized €3.2 million in cash that had been hidden in the walls, floors, and furniture of an apartment in Caivano, a suburb of Naples.

The Carabinieri found bundles of €50 banknotes wrapped in cellophane and hidden beneath floor and wall tiles, as well as in secret drawers in wardrobes.

Eleven luxury Rolex watches, firearms, and equipment used for drug dealing were also seized.

The seized money will be transferred to the State Justice Fund, which finances assistance for victims of organized crime.

The raid was the result of a months-long undercover operation led by prominent Naples anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri. A key breakthrough in the investigation came through tip-offs and the interception of phone calls involving imprisoned mafia members, whose relatives had smuggled mobile phones into the prison.

Those arrested are reportedly members of the notorious Angelino clan, which had become so deeply entrenched in local government in Caivano that the municipal administration was placed under direct judicial oversight last year.

The criminal group operated according to an “entrepreneurial” model, organizing its members into shifts to ensure the continuous trafficking of drugs and the carrying out of extortion.

The suspects are accused of conspiracy to commit mafia-type crimes, drug trafficking, extortion, and possession of narcotics for resale, Italian media reported.