Rome, 7 June 2024 – The Naples Prosecutor’s Office has put under the magnifying glass around 80 cases of illegal entry of migrants into the Campania region, with around twenty suspects involved. The investigation, which has been developing for some time, has gained new attention after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni relaunched the topic by presenting a complaint to the national anti-mafia prosecutor’s office three days ago.
Focus on the Vesuvian Area and Migrants from Bangladesh
The investigation, still in an advanced stage, focuses mainly on the Vesuvian area and on the entry of immigrants from Bangladesh. The first leaked information suggests that the chain of illegality would involve not only migrants, but also compliant companies, intermediaries, lawyers, and consultants from Tax Assistance Centers. The latter would be involved in the bureaucratic procedures necessary to make the migrants appear as workers already secured a job in Italy.
The Network of Illegality and the Role of Organized Crime
According to the investigators, each illegal entry entailed a payment of several thousand euros, a sum which was then divided among the affiliates of the criminal organization. The investigation does not exclude that local organized crime may also be involved in the affair. Furthermore, the network for entries from Bangladesh may have been replicated in other areas of Campania, facilitating the entry of non-EU citizens from different countries.
The Authorities and the Government’s Response
The Chief Prosecutor of Naples, Nicola Gratteri, reassured public opinion of the seriousness with which the authorities are dealing with the situation: “We are on the spot and we are not worried: we have thousands of law enforcement officers, we have magistrates of the highest level and we monitor any type of phenomenon.”
Premier Meloni, during a recent statement, underlined the government’s attention to the issue: “The government has monitored the flows of people entering Italy for work reasons and the data that has emerged is disturbing. From some regions, above all Campania, we have recorded a disproportionate number of job requests for non-EU citizens compared to employers”.
The investigation continues and investigators do not rule out further developments which could broaden the scope of the investigations to other regions and involve further figures in organized crime.
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