A bank undercover to launder money through tax fraud: 30 investigators, seizures of over 21 million. The Mafia Method Challenged

Italian financial police have dismantled a clandestine banking network used to launder money derived from tax fraud and organized crime, resulting in thirty arrests and asset seizures exceeding twenty-one million euros. The operation, coordinated by the Milan District Anti-Mafia and Counter-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, targeted an association for criminal enterprise aggravated by Mafia methods. Investigators executed precautionary measures against thirty individuals across Milan, the Monza-Brianza area, and various Italian provinces, while simultaneous arrests were carried out in Spain and Switzerland. More than three hundred fifty members of the Financial Police participated in the intervention, supported by specialized units and the Corps’ Rapid Intervention Anti-Terrorism component. The judicial order issued by the Milan preliminary investigations judge mandates detention in prison for sixteen suspects and house arrest for fourteen others. Alongside these personal restrictions, authorities are enforcing an urgent preventive seizure decree valued at over twenty-one million euros. The seized assets include cash, bank accounts, cryptocurrencies, automobiles, boats, jewelry, luxury watches, and currency counting machines. These tools are integral to reconstructing the financial flows of the illicit network. The investigation revealed that the group operated through a system designed to move funds internationally, intertwining international money laundering with tax evasion schemes and other criminal activities. At the heart of the inquiry lies a hidden bank structure established in Pero, near Milan, under the formal guise of a car rental company. This entity was controlled by three Italians considered close to Mafia organizations. Two of them served as stable references for clans of the Calabrian ’Ndrangheta, having previously received final convictions in the “Infinito” and “Aemilia” investigations. A third individual belonged to the Casalesi clan. The criminal association relied on the assistance of Chinese and Albanian accomplices to facilitate its operations. According to the Milan prosecutor’s office, the organization offered services for issuing invoices for nonexistent transactions through a dense network of shell companies. Upon receiving bank transfers for these fake invoices, the suspects returned equivalent amounts in cash to compliant entrepreneurs. This cash originated from both tax evasion and drug trafficking proceeds. The accumulated bank provisions were subsequently transferred almost entirely to foreign bank accounts or invested in hard-to-track cryptocurrencies. This mechanism allowed the hidden bank to provide typical financial institution services to clients, primarily drug traffickers and tax evaders, using clandestine underground banking methods that bypassed official anti-money laundering controls. Specific figures highlight the scale of the financial crimes. Investigators uncovered more than one hundred ten million euros in false invoices and sixty-eight million euros in international money laundering conducted via cryptocurrency. The hidden bank received cash from two Chinese citizens tasked with collecting funds mostly from tax-related offenses. It also accepted deposits from a man of Calabrian origin who delivered over five million euros in cash on multiple occasions, sometimes using his own couriers. These funds stemmed from drug trafficking. In exchange for the cash, suppliers were offered corresponding value in cryptocurrency or had bank transfers made to accounts located in Asia, Canada, and South America. Among the arrested individuals is Domenico Bruno, a driver employed by the Milan preliminary investigations judge’s office who handled seized goods. Bruno faces charges of unauthorized access to computer systems in this case, although he is already involved in another investigation. He has been placed under house arrest. The probe also involves a Milan lawyer and other members of organized crime groups. The operation implicates figures from the ’Ndrangheta, the Camorra, and the so-called Fourth Mafia, which refers to organized crime based in Foggia. International cooperation played a crucial role in the execution phase. Activities in Spain and Switzerland were conducted with the support of Interpol’s I-CAN unit, dedicated to cooperation against the ’Ndrangheta. Authorities maintained close contact with security experts from the Central Directorate of Criminal Police stationed in Madrid and Bern. The domestic operation involved the Financial Police provincial commands of Milan and Monza-Brianza, assisted by the Central Service for Investigation into Organized Crime and the Special Unit for Repression of Technological Fraud. The investigative work originated from the Economic and Financial Police Unit of the Milan Financial Police, with support from the Monza Group. The charges against the suspects encompass international money laundering, tax fraud, bankruptcy crimes, drug trafficking, and weapons offenses. The legal framework applied includes aggravations related to Mafia facilitation and method. The seizure of currency counting machines specifically aids investigators in mapping the flow of illicit cash. The network’s ability to interweave international laundering with local tax fraud created a complex web of financial crimes spanning multiple countries. The involvement of foreign nationals and cross-border fund transfers underscores the transnational nature of the scheme. Authorities continue to process the seized assets and review digital evidence. The presence of cryptocurrency holdings indicates an attempt to obscure the trail of illicit profits. The use of shell companies to generate fake invoices facilitated the initial injection of dirty money into the system. Subsequent conversion to crypto or transfer abroad completed the laundering cycle. The operation disrupted a sophisticated infrastructure that mimicked legitimate banking services while operating outside regulatory oversight. The coordination between Italian law enforcement and international partners ensured simultaneous action across jurisdictions. The investigation highlights the intersection of traditional organized crime with modern financial instruments. By leveraging cryptocurrency and offshore accounts, the group sought to evade detection by standard anti-money laundering mechanisms. The inclusion of a public sector employee among the accused raises questions about internal vulnerabilities within judicial administrative processes. However, the primary focus remains on the criminal association’s core activities of laundering proceeds from drugs and tax evasion. The extensive asset freeze aims to deprive the organization of its economic base. Legal proceedings will determine the extent of each suspect’s involvement in the broader conspiracy.