Italy’s mafia, Catholic group duped migrants
Italy has broken up a mafia ring accused of infiltrating one of the country’s largest migrant centres and capitalising on asylum seekers with the help of a Catholic association, police said on Monday.
The Arena clan, a family belonging to the powerful ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate, allegedly made a fortune by supplying services for the centre at Isola di Capo Rizzuto and syphoning off money from the state meant for migrants.
“Over 500 agents arrested 68 people... accused of mafia association, extortion, carrying illegal weapons, fraud, embezzlement, (and) theft,” police in Catanzaro, a city in Calabria, said.
Their investigation revealed “that the clan controlled, for profit, the management of the reception centre” at Isola di Capo Rizzuto, which has held up to 1,500 migrants at a time, for over a decade.
Police arrested Leonardo Sacco, the 35-year-old head of Catholic Misericordia association which runs the centre, who has boasted of links to high-powered political figures.
Local priest Edoardo Scordio was also detained in the sting. “Some $35 million went straight into the clan’s pocket,” assistant prosecutor Vincenzo Luberto said, adding that Scordio had received 150,000 euros for offering “spiritual guidance” to the migrants.
About 175,000 people are currently living in reception centres, where the state provides food, clothing, Italian lessons, psychological support, health care and a small amount of pocket money. — AFP