A nun is among 24 people arrested in northern Italy as part of a mafia investigation, Italian police have said.
The nun, identified in the Italian press as Sister Anna Donelli, was arrested after she served as an intermediary between the ‘Ndrangheta mafia and its jailed gangsters.
Police also arrested two politicians and seized assets worth more than 1.8 million euros (ÂŁ1.5 million) in raids in several towns in the Lombardy and Veneto regions, as well as in Calabria in the south.
The arrests are the result of a four-year investigation into the ‘Ndrangheta, which is one of the most influential and dangerous criminal organisations in Europe.
Statements released by a coalition of law enforcement agencies after the operation detail allegations that the nun took advantage of her position as a prison volunteer. The Carabinieri in Brescia said she was an unsuspecting person whose religious role allowed her “free access to prison premises”.
Police statements did not identify the politicians or others targeted by the investigation.
The operation continues, with hundreds of police officers carrying out checks in northern Italy.
They are being assisted by sniffer dog units that search for weapons and drugs, as well as “cash dogs” that are trained to search for money, police said.
Investigators say the group mainly used scrap metal trading companies as a front for money laundering, with a total of around 12 million euros in laundered money, prosecutors said. Originating in the impoverished region of Calabria, the ‘Ndrangheta is considered one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world.
Last November, more than 200 people were sentenced to a total of more than 2,200 years in prison in one of the largest Italian mafia trials in generations.