Typically thought of as a region free from the penetrating tentacles of the mafia, Tuscany has increasingly become a place for illegal money-laundering. A team of officers from the Guardia di Finanzia in Florence and Naples recently collaborated to dismantle a nationwide money-laundering ring that had been operating in Naples, Lamezia and Montecatini, near Pistoia.
Over 40 alleged mobsters have been placed into custody as a result of the two-year probe, dubbed Operation Leopolda by police. Tuscan officials have arrested three people believed to be connected to the Neapolitan mafia, the Camorra, and have closed three luxury hotels in Montecatini for further investigation. Pistoia residents suspected of laundering money for the southern clan include Francesco Rastelli and his wife, as well as various members of the Formicola family.
The accused have also been charged with usury, theft, extortion and drug trafficking in the Tuscan region. A total of 104 people are being probed, including suspected members of the Calabrese mafia, N’drangheta.
