Mafia numbers in Switzerland higher than previously thought
The Mafiosi are mainly based in the border cantons of Ticino, Graubünden and Valais
Keystone
Significantly more members of the Italian Mafia live in Switzerland than previously assumed, according to the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol). It has confirmed an estimate by Italian prosecutors and experts that around 400 Mafiosi live in Switzerland.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Русский
ru
Итальянских мафиози в Швейцарии больше, чем предполагалось
The NZZ am Sonntag quoted Italian experts who claim there are about 20 Mafia cells with 400 members in Switzerland. However, a Fedpol spokesman told the news agency Keystone-SDA that the number could be even higher, as “not everything” is seen.
Fedpol’s annual report for 2019 said the office had knowledge of around 100 members in Switzerland, mostly of the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, but also of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the Neapolitan Camorra. This corresponds to what is concretely seen in investigations and analyses, the Fedpol spokesman said.
The Mafiosi are mainly based in the border cantons of Ticino, Graubünden and Valais as well as in urban centres and agglomerations, according to Fedpol.
“They’ve been in Switzerland for years, don’t stand out, are well integrated and have jobs,” the spokesman said.
According to the 2019 report, Fedpol imposed 11 entry bans on Mafia members in 2019 and four the year before. Entry bans had also been imposed in previous years.
Arrests
The report said Switzerland, located in the heart of Europe, is often used as a retreat that can be entered and left equally quickly. “Switzerland is a connection point for the clans in southern Italy and is therefore an ideal logistical platform for Mafiosi,” it said.
On Tuesday the Italian and Swiss authorities arrested 75 people in a joint raid against the ’Ndrangheta. The 75 arrested are accused of Mafia association, international drug trafficking, money laundering, false registration of assets and corruption.
The joint action was linked to criminal proceedings being conducted by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General involving six Italian nationals, most of whom live in Switzerland.
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
Switzerland to step up humanitarian aid to Lebanon and Syria
This content was published on
The Swiss government decided to allocate an additional CHF7 million to the two countries in response to the escalating violence in the Middle East.
Report exposes widespread hygiene issues in Swiss hospitals
This content was published on
A Swissmedic report found that nearly all of the 25 Swiss hospitals inspected had issues with disinfecting, sterilising and packaging of medical products.
Swiss bank Mirabaud closes brokerage unit due to poor performance
This content was published on
The move spanning the bank’s global operations means a loss of 17 jobs, including five each in Switzerland and the UK, and seven in Spain.
Guterres condemns Israel’s plan to label UNRWA a terrorist organisation
This content was published on
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has spoken out against a law proposed by the Israeli parliament that would classify UNRWA as a terrorist organisation.
This content was published on
The Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich is the best university in continental Europe, according to the Times Higher Education ranking.
NGO accuses tobacco industry and Switzerland of human rights violations
This content was published on
The anti-smoking NGO OxySuisse has accused tobacco companies of violating human rights and the Swiss authorities of being complacent.
In 2019, Switzerland deported those with Italian mafia or jihadist links
This content was published on
In 2019, Switzerland’s Federal Office of PoliceExternal link (Fedpol) ordered the deportation of four men from Switzerland in order to guarantee the country’s internal and external security, the German-language weekly NZZ am Sonntag External linkreports. In a first for Switzerland, two of these men were expelled because of their alleged membership in the Italian mafia. The other two…
This content was published on
An Italian man living near the Swiss capital has been handed a prison sentence for his membership in and support of the ’Ndrangheta.
Two Calabrian mafia members to be extradited to Italy
This content was published on
The Italian extradition requests are based on a judgement released in October 2014 by a Calabrian court. The two Italian citizens had been sentenced in their absence to nine and six years in prison respectively. The justice office said in a statement on Wednesday that the conditions for extradition had been fulfilled. The two Italians…
Mafiosi arrested in 260-tonne Swiss chocolate heist
This content was published on
In August 2014, more than €7 million (CHF7.6 million) worth of chocolate was stolen from a Milan warehouse belonging to Swiss luxury chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli. Fifty tonnes of Lindor chocolate balls were later found in a warehouse in Nola, near Mount Vesuvius, and 20 tonnes in Sezze, between Rome and Naples, but the…
This content was published on
“The biggest danger is posed by the ’Ndrangheta.” This was the view of the Swiss Strategy for Combatting Organised Crime 2012-2015, released by the government at the end of March. Even if no serious acts of violence have been committed like those in the German city of Duisburg in 2007, when six people from Calabria…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.