One of the most important names of the Italian Anti-Mafia Prosecution, the Catanzaro prosecutor in Calabria and one of the best experts in the fight against the Calabrian Ndrangheta mafia, Nicola Gratteri has spoken again about the role of the Albanian mafia in the world of organized crime in Europe. of the world.
He is concerned that after the war in Ukraine, weapons in the possession of civilians will be bought by the mafia, while for the Albanian organized crime he says that it is more and more alarming, while showing why he is focused on Colombia and the Netherlands.
"After the pandemic, the second difficulty we currently have in the fight against the mafia, especially against Ndrangheta is the war in Ukraine which is a golden opportunity for the mafia. But why do I say that? We are concerned that after the end of the war, weapons will remain with ordinary Ukrainian civilians, including heavy artillery, sophisticated weapons.
And as happened during the war in Yugoslavia, after its end, many families had 5 or 6 Kalashnikovs at home, tens of kilograms of explosives that they stored thinking they might need in the future.
Some still keep them, and some others sold these weapons, Ndrangheta, to the Puglia mafia Sacra Corona Unita, Well these weapons armed the mafias and were used to fight among themselves or to favor illegal activities, The same thing we are concerned about that it can happen even at the end of the war between Ukraine and Russia ", said Gatteri in an interview for RTV Ora, who also commented on the role of the Albanian mafia recently.
"I tell you that the Albanian mafia is growing a lot at the international level. When we talk about the Albanian mafia, we should not think like 15 or 10 years ago when they attacked to rob the villas of the richest Italians in Tuscany, Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto or wherever they could.
When I talk to you about the Albanian mafia, I tell you that they are very strong criminal organizations, which leave quite strong, very rich from Albania, well established in the prestigious plan of power. The Albanian mafia is well documented in two countries, in Colombia and in the Netherlands.
In Colombia, the Albanian mafia buys cocaine directly and directly, while in the Netherlands it has become much stronger because in this country, as it is a country where the fight against the mafia is quite low, there is a very guaranteeing prison system.
In the Netherlands, even if you are caught with 10 kg of cocaine, the risk of imprisonment is a maximum of 2 years, so almost nothing. Today in the Netherlands 3 mafias are well activated; Calabrian Ndrangheta mafia, Albanian mafia and North African mafia, mainly composed of Tunisian immigrants.
Finally, for a year or more, the Dutch authorities have become aware of what is happening, they have started cooperating with us. A journalist, a justice collaborator and a lawyer have been killed in the Netherlands, and these are strong, serious signals that suggest that these three mafias are not transient in the Netherlands, but have taken root and are there not only to do business, but are well structured.
"From the analysis of the information we have, confronting them with other colleagues of the world law enforcement forces, the Albanian mafia is becoming more and more powerful in Latin America", said the anti-mafia prosecutor.