In an important operation conducted by the Financial Police of Messinaassets with an estimated value of one million euros were seized from an individual considered socially dangerous, originally from Tortorici but operating in Montalbano Elicona.
This intervention comes as a consequence of the investigations linked to the ‘Terra mia’ operations of 2018 and the ‘Nebrodi’ operations of 2020, which highlighted the activities of a complex criminal organization divided into the fringes of the ‘Batanesi’ and the ‘Bontempo Scavo’ of the ‘ Tortoricians’.
The investigations revealed that the person involved had a key role within the organisation, maintaining “very close relationships with the ‘Batanese'” and representing the ‘family’ in several high-level meetings with representatives of Catania’s organized crime.
He was also responsible for managing territorial control, extortion and plots of land used for scams at Agea, an agency in charge of distributing community funds in the agricultural sector.
Thanks to the meticulous work of the economic-patrimonial specialists of the Gico of the Economic-Financial Police Unit of Messina, it was possible to trace the direct and indirect income of the suspect, leading to the seizure of three agricultural companies, six lands and two financial accounts. These assets, directly and indirectly attributable to the suspect, represent a total value of one million euros.
This significant seizure not only underlines the effectiveness of law enforcement in countering organized crime operations, but also represents a serious blow to the criminal networks operating in the Nebrodi region, marking a step forward in the fight against illicit activities that they undermine security and the local economy.
