JOHANNESBURG—On the morning of May 25, a volley of gunshots rang out in Constantia, Cape Town. The suburb is home to some of South Africa’s wealthiest people, including business magnates and politicians. It was also home to a married couple who a neighbor later described as “very quiet; from somewhere in Europe.” No one knew…
South Africa Killings Ignite Manhunt for Bulgarian Mafia Kingpins With US Links
Mafia Using South Africa as Major Gateway to Smuggle Cocaine, Says UN Report
JOHANNESBURG—The globe’s biggest narcotraffickers are increasingly using South African ports to smuggle cocaine around the world—including to the United States—according to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). South Africa features prominently in the Global Report on Cocaine 2023. Investigators from South Africa’s Hawks agency, which targets organized crime,…
Italy Activates Anti-Mafia Commission to Investigate Chinese Infiltration
The Italian government has activated the Anti-Mafia Commission to investigate the infiltration of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the country. In addition to investigating the illegal activities of the Italian mafia, it will intensify efforts to combat the illicit activities of Chinese gangs, under the control of the CCP, infiltrating Italian society and collaborating…
Quebec Police Conduct Anti-Drug Trafficking Raids Targeting Hells Angels, Mafia
Several police forces across Quebec are participating in joint anti-drug trafficking raids across the province targeting members of the Hells Angels and the Mafia. Police say they are conducting eight operations, including in Montreal, Laval and Estérel, in Quebec’s Laurentians region. Provincial police Sgt. Audrey-Anne Bilodeau wouldn’t say whose residences are being searched but said…
Universities Operate Like Mafias
I’ve studied the Mafia for decades because my grandparents were Sicilian. Also, I was a college professor for 25 years, so I’ve had plenty of opportunity to observe the commonalities between mafias and universities. Let’s start with some familiar mafia clichés and then dig deeper. They Make You an Offer You Can’t Refuse This line…
After 30 Years, Italy Arrests Mafia Boss Messina Denaro at Sicilian Hospital
PALERMO, Italy—Italy’s most wanted mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, was arrested by armed police at a private hospital in Sicily on Monday, where the man who has been on the run since 1993 was being treated for cancer. Nicknamed “Diabolik” and “‘U Siccu” (The Skinny One), Messina Denaro had been sentenced in absentia to a…
Feds Charge Genovese and Bonanno Crime Family Associates in New York with Gambling, Racketeering
Nine people linked to the Genovese and Bonanno organized crime families—including a detective with the Nassau County Police Department—were indicted in a Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday and charged with illegal gambling, racketeering, money laundering conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and other related offenses. Eight of the defendants are members or associates of the two crime families, which…
Italian Mafia Floods Australia With Dirty Money, Illicit Drugs: Australian Federal Police
Thousands of Italian mafia figures are washing billions of dollars a year through the Australian economy in secrecy while “pulling the strings” of other criminal clans. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Tuesday launched a probe into 51 Italian organised crime gangs operating in Australia, 14 of which are the Calabrian mafia—also called ‘Ndrangheta—one of…
As Lake Mead Dries Up, a Gruesome Discovery Is Made in a Barrel
BOULDER CITY, Nev.—As Lake Mead in Nevada recedes further due to the ongoing drought, it slowly gives up its secrets. On May 7, two sisters walking along the sandy banks at Lake Mead National Recreation Area found human skeletal remains. It would be the second of two gruesome discoveries made at the man-made reservoir this…
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