Italian police arrests mafia gambling suspects
18-10-2010
The Italian tax police has carried out gambling raids across Italy. The operation concerned the southern regions of Apulia, Campania, Bruttium and Sicily. The raids also took place in the central regions of Abruzzo, Lazio and Tuscany. Furthermore, the raids involved the northern regions of Lombardy, Liguria and Emilia–Romagna.
Gambling raids
The
raids resulted in 498 arrestments. Furthermore, the police arrested 25 mafia suspects in the province of Naples. It’s unclear if these arrestments are part of the Poker 2 operation.
Illegal betting firm
Investigators targeted an illegal gambling firm from Austria that was located in Innsbruck. The betting company operated a gambling ring of 500 unlicensed gambling shops, according to the investigation. In addition, the betting shops allegedly offered internet gambling.
Suspects
Italian newspaper Il Mattino reported that one of the arrested people is Christian Biancone. The ex-soccer star played for Sorrento Calcio. Other arrested suspects include a female attorney and the partner of a senior military officer. The charges include mafia connection, usury, blackmail, money laundering, drug operations, swindling and illegal gambling.
