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🇨🇭 Switzerland /Crime & Justice

INTERVIEW: “This Mafia Clan Would Never Have Become So Powerful Without Its Swiss Connections”

From Neue Zürcher Zeitung · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources In the courts
  • A trial opened in Bellinzona involving Carmelo M., an alleged representative of the Calabrian Anello clan who reportedly worked for it for two decades.
  • Mafia expert Anna Sergi says Switzerland has been fundamental to the clan’s growth and to the wider Ndrangheta network.
  • She describes Swiss-based representatives as useful for investing and laundering money, arranging cross-border trafficking, and accessing business and legal circles.

“Without Switzerland, the Anello family would never have become as strong as it is today,” says mafia expert Anna Sergi. Her assessment comes as the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona hears the case of Carmelo M., an alleged representative of the Calabrian mafia in Switzerland.

Prosecutors accuse Carmelo M. of working for the Anello clan for 20 years and of being close to its boss. The verdict is expected in November. Sergi says the case illustrates how Ndrangheta clans have developed a dual identity: their leadership remains in Calabria, while their business operations extend into northern regions.

The clan leader, Rocco Anello, ran his empire from the small village of Filadelfia. But his power depended on people such as Carmelo M., who also comes from Filadelfia and has lived in Switzerland for many years. Such representatives know the country, Sergi says. They understand how to invest and launder money, organize people to move drugs or weapons across the border, and reach entrepreneurs, lawyers and members of chambers of commerce.

Those links do not always involve people who knowingly serve the mafia. Sergi says they often include Calabrians living in Switzerland or Italians from other regions, but not always. Some know they are dealing with organized crime, while others do not. Switzerland’s small size and its relatively compact Italian community make it easier to establish contacts and gain access.

The Anello clan moved into Switzerland in the late 1980s. Sergi points to the country’s proximity, its Italian-speaking area and its wealth as advantages for the Ndrangheta. Easing of Swiss banking secrecy has made money laundering more difficult, she says, but the organization still regards Switzerland as easier to infiltrate than other European countries. The source article ends before completing its account of the Anello clan’s activities.

Without Switzerland, the Anello family would never have become as strong as it is today.

· Anna SergiThe mafia expert described Switzerland’s importance to the Anello clan.
About this summary

Originally published by Neue Zürcher Zeitung in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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