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Earlier this month, many people gathered to mourn members of a notorious Mafia family in Sicily, despite a national blockade in Italy.
Dozens of people behind the funeral show respect for the late 70-year-old member of one of the most notorious mafia families. Claudio Fava, president of the regional committee against the mafia, described it as a “real scandal that insults those who lost loved ones during the pandemic.”
The blockade procession reflects the power of the mafia in many parts of Italy, making local governments “look out of sight.”
Police check up on a driver in Ostia, Italy on April 13. Photos: Reuters.
Officials and investigators say mafia groups are benefiting from Covid-19, especially in the south of the country. The most notorious mafia group ‘Ndrangheta, based in Calabria, is said to control 80% of the European cocaine market. Although a pandemic made drug distribution difficult, they took advantage of the blockade.
Journalist Roberto Saviano, author of a book about the mafia, said that “drug traffickers take advantage of the lack of supervision of law enforcement officials at ports and airports.” “Who else checks?” He said.
The mafia not only sells cocaine, they are deeply involved in the economy. While traditional mafia activities such as blackmail may be affected in the epidemic, they also have new opportunities, said Anna Sergi, a senior professor of criminology at the University of Essex.
Franco Gabrielli, head of the Italian police force, said the mafia organizations had deeply penetrated “areas not yet affected by the Covid-19 restriction orders: agricultural food chains, drugs and equipment.” health, road transport “.
“They invest in funeral homes, hospital laundry services, cleaning companies, deliveries, service stations. Those are areas that they have been involved in for the past 10 years,” Saviano said. “With that advantage, they can reach ‘tentacles’ even in industries that they don’t control, when companies have a severe cash shortage. “
“When the emergency ends, criminal groups can expand their influence, controlling companies that were not under their control,” he added.
Sergi said that previous crises have shown that companies are more willing to accept black mafia credit because they can transfer money quickly and require less rigorous bank loans. Lending money to struggling companies and then gradually controlling them is a mob tactic. Nicola Gratteri, anti-mafia investigator and chief prosecutor at Catanzaro, said restaurants and hotels are particularly vulnerable.
Anti-mafia group SOS Imeaway said the mafia used to take advantage of the 2008 financial crisis to make them the “biggest bank” in Italy. They estimated in 2012 that the mafia had 65 billion euros ($ 72 billion) of liquidity and described black credit as a response to a “national emergency.” Meanwhile, many Italian banks have struggled to maintain their operations and have taken loans from the European Central Bank.
“They approached the company that was in crisis and said ‘we did not buy all of them, but we will give him cash in exchange for shares to become part of his company,'” he said. “That’s what they do to everyone.”
Late last month, a video of a woman knocking on a bank door in Bari, booing at the bank and the state, was widely shared. This is the kind of situation that the mafia wants to exploit. ‘Ndrangheta and other groups build loyalty by providing needs for poor neighborhoods and cash for struggling businesses.
“This is a method of winning people’s hearts. If the state does not function effectively, the mob will take advantage of that to demonstrate that they are the preeminent model and can demand a reward for trying to interfere in the elections.” Gratteri added.
Zora Hauser, an organized crime researcher at the University of Oxford, said that “when the economic and social crisis occurs, we will see that the mafia returns to its main activity: public protection and governance.” they “.
Except Palazzolo, a journalist from La Repubblica, was threatened after reporting that the people involved in the food mafia were involved in the poor district of Palermo, Sicily. “Palermo mafia families like Cosa Nostra are very strong, especially in the field of drug trafficking and online gambling,” said Palazzolo.
“Cosa Nostra has increased its control through social benefits for families whose members are in prison and now also for poor households. They want to present themselves as an alternative organization for the state,” he said. add.
Elsewhere in Palermo, a mob boss planned to celebrate Good Friday (the Friday before Easter, commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion) despite the blockade, before the police intervened. . Criminologist Anna Sergi said The mob wants the public to be friendly and need them.
The Italian government is aware of the danger. Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese sent a letter to regional leaders warning criminal organizations to try to use “forms of support” to embellish the image.
The government has established a food assistance fund worth € 400 million (€ 435 million) and disbursed an additional € 4.3 billion ($ 4.8 billion) to local mayors. “We know that many people are fighting, the state is always ready to support,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on March 28.
However, this is challenging. During the crisis, the mafia will try to attract and recruit new unemployed people. Up to three million Italians are informal workers. A 2017 survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated that a quarter of Italians between the ages of 20 and 25 have no job or vocational training.
Italy is trying to save the economy by injecting 750 billion euros ($ 815 billion), securing business loans.. But anti-mafia investigators are concerned that some loans and other forms of support will fall into the hands of mafia-run companies.
Italy is promoting the idea of a joint loan from the EU investment bank member states. German commentator Christoph Schiltz asked Chancellor Angela Merkel to reject the idea, writing that “the mafia is waiting for a new Brussels money rain.” Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio described Schiltz’s comments as “shameful and unacceptable”.
But the mafia is not an Italian problem. They ‘tentacles’ across Europe and beyond. ‘Ndrangheta has an extensive network across Europe that distributes drugs, often disguised as a pizzeria. They have also invested in real estate.
Like the nCoV, the mob doesn’t bother borders. “The mafia is also very powerful in Germany,” said Roberto Saviano. “They are less violent, but very powerful.”
Earlier this month, Pope Francis prayed to God to “touch the heart and change” people who benefit from pandemics like the mafia. But the evidence in history and the present shows that you may be disappointed.
Phương Vũ (The O CNN)
