Italy and Romania freeze €40 million in cross-border mafia-linked assets

Italian and Romanian authorities froze assets worth more than 40 million euros ($46.86 million) in a cross-border operation coordinated by Eurojust, targeting property and businesses linked to an Italian suspect, the EU judicial cooperation agency said Wednesday.

Eurojust said investigations indicated the suspect, a former crown witness, may have ties to the Santapaola-Ercolano family and the Cappello Bonaccorsi clan. Authorities allege he used assets registered in his own name and those of relatives, including betting and online gaming licenses and shops in the Italian provinces of Catania and Syracuse, as well as cryptocurrency, to launder funds.

The frozen assets include 20 betting businesses operating in betting, online gaming or real estate, 89 properties in Italy and Romania, two cars, 20 bank accounts and cash, Eurojust said. Some of the assets were purchased in Romania, requiring coordinated action by authorities in both countries.