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Sicilian police announced on Tuesday that they had carried out a large-scale operation in northern Brazil focused on the activity of a member of the highly influential Sicilian mafia, Cosa Nostra, within whose borders resources with an estimated value of fifty million euros have been seized.
The operation led to the arrest of a Sicilian businessman, a resident of the Brazilian city of Natal (in the north-east), suspected of being involved in money laundering.
Giuseppe Bruno faces charges of extortion, money laundering and cooperation with a mafia organization, according to a statement by the Italian economic police made public in Palermo. Authorities confiscated 50 million euros in resources and other assets belonging to 17 individuals.
An investigation is underway against them. They are also accused of collaboration with a mafia organization, extortion and money laundering through front companies.
Twelve companies in the real estate, construction and hospitality sectors had their assets seized in Brazil, while various parts of Italy and Switzerland were also raided.
The man arrested is said to have been a long-time associate of a man described by Italian police as one of the "most respected and influential men in Palermo", suggesting he is an anointed Sicilian mobster.
According to reports in the Italian press, the latter is Giuseppe Calvaruso, who was arrested in 2021 after getting off the plane returning from Brazil to the city of Sicily. He was sentenced in December 2022 to 16 years in prison.
The European Union's Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), which coordinated cross-border cooperation, said Swiss authorities also contributed to the investigation, which has been ongoing for the past two years.
According to the calculations of the Italian financial police, the fragmented 'ring' has in its hands a total of half a billion euros in resources.
It also operated in Hong Kong and Singapore, Asia's major financial centers, using various front companies to funnel money laundered from international criminal activity into the pockets of Cosa Nostra members.
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