Mafia groups are taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis to acquire bankrupt entities for their nefarious purposes. Pideeco’s Stefano Siggia analyzes how the Mafia is gaining from the pandemic, their methods of infiltrating failing companies and how they are carrying out their schemes in Italy and the rest of Europe.
The COVID-19 crisis has wreaked havoc on businesses across the world, from mom-and-pop stores to larger operations, but where crisis and challenges lie, opportunities arise plentiful. Criminal organizations around the globe are moving fast to find ways to profit from the pandemic, and one such group that has been making the rounds lately is none other than the Mafia.
The term “Mafia” is a general catch-all used to describe four distinct criminal associations that have been operating in Italy since the late 19th century. These include the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, the Neapolitan Camorra, the Apulian Sacra Corona Unita and the Calabrian ’Ndrangheta – the richest and most international of the four.[1]
Police checks and strict national lockdowns that have persisted throughout 2020 have put a stranglehold on the Mafia’s main sources of income, which include extortion, prostitution and narcotraffic, amongst other illicit revenues.[2] Drug trafficking is estimated…
