Italian Police Arrest 13 in Nationwide Crackdown on Chinese Mafia

Italian Police Arrest 13 in Nationwide Crackdown on Chinese Mafia
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Thirteen individuals were arrested in Italy on Monday in a sweeping operation targeting Chinese mafia groups, ABC News reported. The arrests, made across 25 provinces including Milan, Rome, Florence, Prato, and Catania, were linked to drug trafficking, sex exploitation, and aggravated robbery.

Authorities also reported 31 others to judicial authorities and seized over 500 grams of crystal meth. Officials said the gangs often target members of their own community and use violence and intimidation to dominate territories.

In Prato, a hub for garment manufacturing and home to one of Europe’s largest Chinese communities, rival groups have clashed over control of a lucrative clothes hanger market and apparel transport, sparking deadly violence.

The investigation also uncovered labor abuses in Chinese-run workshops supplying European luxury brands. Authorities allege tax evasion, illegal money transfers, and reliance on low-cost labor are central to the mafia-linked business model.