Dozens of arrests in anti-gang operation

Police in Italy, Spain and Germany have arrested 32 people suspected of trafficking drugs and laundering money, in a European operation against the Camorra crime syndicate.

A drug seizure two years ago prompted the investigation by the Antimafia Prosecution Office in Naples that led to yesterday’s arrests in three countries, said Eurojust, a Netherlands-based agency that co-ordinates the fight against organised crime across European borders.

Naples is the traditional base for the Mafia-type Camorra, an umbrella for many different clans.

Spain’s state prosecutor said 14 people were arrested yesterday in Barcelona – ten Italians, a Chilean, a Colombian, a Spaniard and a Venezuelan. The suspects allegedly sent large quantities of cocaine and hashish to Italy.