Germany, Italy arrest dozens over mafia food fraud

German and Italian authorities Tuesday arrested dozens of suspects, including a policeman, in raids against the ‘Ndrangheta mafia over fraud involving the sale of pricey food and pizza-making equipment.

Hundred of law enforcement officials carried out about 40 searches in four German states and several areas of Italy as part of the five-year investigation.

Fourteen suspects, including a police officer accused of supporting the gang, were arrested in western Germany and 20 were detained in Italy, according to German police.

They are accused of “an elaborate fraud with high-value food products, such as expensive cheeses and olive oil, as well as kitchen equipment for pizza production”, said Eurojust, the EU’s judicial agency, which coordinated the raids.

They suspects are also accused of other crimes including arson, drug trafficking and tax evasion.

The alleged food fraud took place in and around Stuttgart and involved suspects posing as representatives of German food companies who then targeted Italian firms, according to German prosecutor Joachim Dittrich.

They ordered larges quantities of food and equipment in the name of a fake company but did not pay, leading to losses of hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars) for the suppliers, he said.

The suspects then pressured Italian restaurants in and around the German city to buy the supplies, with the businesses agreeing to avoid possible reprisals.

Italian prosecutors said the victims were Italians from Calabria, the southern region of the country where the ‘Ndrangheta is based.

The arrested police officer is accused of disclosing confidential information to help the suspects.

The ‘Ndrangheta’s is considered Italy’s wealthiest and most powerful mafia, and is heavily involved in drug trafficking, controlling the bulk of cocaine flowing into Europe.