Project Sindacato netted a huge haul for York Regional Police.
About $35 million in assets, including the businesses that house money-making gaming operations, have been seized or frozen from a clan of the ‘Ndrangheta, the Calabrian Mob.
In conjunction with the 15 arrested by York investigators, including a senior member of a ‘Ndgrangheta clan, Italian anti-mafia police arrested 14 others in Reggio Calabria in what it calls Operation Canadian ‘Ndrangheta Connection.
These raids show the struggle is as widespread as it is never-ending, and police aren’t making a dent. The arrests by York police in Sindacato — which means union or association in Italian — and in Reggio Calabria show that finding their the money is how to hurt them.
And it holds a key in how to fight organized crime.
But law enforcement isn’t hurting them enough.
We’ve heard similar language from police in the past.
For example, the RCMP announced in 2015 the results of Operation Ophoenix where two ‘Ndrangheta cells were hit. Most recently, Project Otremens had an undercover officer inducted into a mafia family. A Mountie was inducted into a ‘Ndrangheta cell in London, Ont., a few decades ago. And there have been a few ‘Ndrangheta members deported to Italy.
Canadians have seized millions in assets in these and other investigations. Seizures by Italian and European authorities dwarf our efforts, involving billions of Euros worth in assets. Those seizures do hurt them.
And yet, here such efforts are rarely crushing. They have been historically just a temporarily setback for crime organizations.
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See Also:
(1) Following dirty money leads police to alleged Mafia clan north of Toronto living life of luxury
(2) Mafia used Ontario casinos to launder money: York police (video)
