Romeo is among several people under investigation for suspected false property registration in one of a growing number of investigations in which mobsters are suspected of systematically buying up Roman tourist restaurants to launder cocaine profits, allegedly installing people like Romeo as figurehead owners.
Along Rome’s narrow Via dei Pastini, a street thronging with tourists in search of quaint restaurants, authorities raided three trattorias, including Il Barroccio, this year as alleged fronts for money-laundering operations for the ‘ndrangheta.
Authorities say the financially savvy ‘ndrangheta is hungry for legitimate businesses to launder the billions it rakes in from cocaine trafficking.
While a few lawmakers …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
