Italian anti-mafia police have recovered €3.2m ($3.6m) hidden in the walls, floors and furniture of an apartment in Naples, leading to the arrest of 34 people.
The cash, discovered during a dawn raid in Caivano on Monday, was concealed in bundles of €50 notes beneath floor and wall tiles and inside hidden drawers in wardrobes, according to the Naples Carabinieri military police.
Authorities wrapped the banknotes in cellophane before removing them from the property in plastic mop buckets and loading them into an armoured vehicle.
Police also seized 11 luxury Rolex watches, weapons and equipment allegedly linked to drug dealing during the operation.
The raid followed a months-long investigation led by Neapolitan anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri.
He said investigators had monitored the mobile phones of imprisoned suspected mobsters, which had allegedly been smuggled into prisons by relatives.
“To demonstrate the importance of the operation, in just one home, we seized €3.2 million in cash, as well as valuable watches,” he told reporters in Naples on Monday.
Authorities said information from informants, who provided evidence to prosecutors in exchange for protection, helped lead to the operation.
The 34 suspects are allegedly members of the Angelino clan, which prosecutors said had gained such a strong foothold in Caivano that the local government was placed under judicial administration last year.
The arrests were made on allegations including mafia-style criminal association, drug trafficking, extortion and possession of drugs for distribution, according to the Carabinieri.
Opposition lawmakers have linked the arrests to concerns about the effectiveness of the government’s “Caivano Model”, a crime-prevention and urban regeneration programme introduced in 2023.
Francesco Borrelli of the Greens and Left Alliance criticised the government following the arrests, saying, “For months we have witnessed the prime minister and her ministers’ parades, claiming a ‘clean up’ that, in our opinion, was actually portrayed as a definitive victory over organized crime.
The reality that emerged from the investigation is different.”
Investigators said the operation also exposed how the alleged crime network operated in an “entrepreneurial” manner, with members working staggered shifts to carry out activities including drug dealing and extortion.
The seized €3.2m will be transferred to Italy’s Justice Fund, which supports victims of organised crime.
Gratteri also said the money could help fund further investigations involving telephone wiretaps.
“I’m thinking of when the minister wants to reduce wiretaps to save money. But just today, with the €3.2 million found that will go directly to the Justice Fund, we’ve paid for a year’s worth of wiretaps in Naples alone. And we need to carry out several more operations like this,” he said.
