Dozens including German cop held in targeted raids on Mafia

Dozens of people, including a German police officer, have been detained in coordinated raids targeting the Mafia and other organized crime networks in Italy and Germany, authorities said on Tuesday, reported dpa.

Italian police said 20 people were held in Italy accused of connections to the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia organization from the southern region of Calabria.

Raids in Germany focused on the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg, with operations also taking place further north in Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland.

A total of 34 arrest warrants and 40 search warrants were executed in Italy and Germany during the raid, according to police and the public prosecutor's office in the town of Waiblingen, near Stuttgart.

Among those held is a 46-year-old German police officer accused of supporting the 'Ndrangheta.

The operation is a result of investigative cooperation between German and Italian authorities to combat organized crime, with support from international police organization Interpol.

The organization launched its Interpol Cooperation Against 'Ndrangheta programme in 2020, with more than 100 suspects since being detained worldwide.

Around 20 countries are involved in the project, with Germany and Italy playing a particularly active role.

The 'Ndrangheta is widely seen as the most dangerous Mafia group in Italy, above the Sicilian Cosa Nostra or the Camorra in Naples.

The group is highly involved in the drug trade and is believed to have a dominant position in the European cocaine market.

Approximately 170 individuals in Baden-Württemberg are believed to have ties to criminal organizations, including Mafia groups such as the 'Ndrangheta, Cosa Nostra and Camorra.

Many are concentrated around Lake Constance and the greater Stuttgart area, police said.

Criminal groups exploit the state's economic and geographical advantages for various illegal activities.

Offences documented range from fraudulent food trading to drug trafficking, weapons violations, money laundering and tax evasion.

While no evidence of cooperation between different organizations has been found within Baden-Württemberg according to the Interior Ministry, Italian anti-Mafia experts believe temporary alliances do sometimes arise.