In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a large-scale economic crisis, in Italy, local mafia structures began to provide financial assistance to small and medium-sized businesses. This is stated in the regular report of the Directorate of Investigation against the Mafia (DIA), writes VTimes.
However, the authors point out that we are not talking about altruism. This is how the criminals are trying to put the recipients of “social benefits” under their control in order to use them in the future for money laundering. Criminals first offer support, and when the business owner agrees to it, they switch to traditional methods of intimidation.
The study covers the period from January to June last year. Typically published twice a year, this report is the first since the start of the pandemic. The most attention in it is traditionally paid to three main groups – “Ndrangheta” (the most influential in Italy), “Cosa Nostra” and “Camorra”.
The article notes that the mafia suffered serious losses due to quarantine. The purchase and sale of stolen goods suffered, the supply of counterfeit products worsened, and there were fewer robberies. Because of this, criminal structures have to look for new ways to generate income.
At the end of last year, the media noted that queues began to appear in front of food banks in Italy. Among them were skilled workers from factories that were forced to close, or former businessmen.