Italian authorities seize villas, vehicles, cash and other assets linked to the late Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro as part of an investigation into money laundering connected to his drug-trafficking activities. Multiple outlets report that Italy’s finance police and police carry out the operation targeting a network said to have benefited from or managed proceeds tied to Denaro’s criminal interests.
Denaro, head of the Sicilian Mafia group Cosa Nostra, was arrested in 2023 after roughly three decades on the run. He had been convicted in absentia in multiple murder cases, including convictions connected to killings of senior anti-Mafia prosecutors. His death in prison followed his arrest.
According to reports, the seizures amount to more than €200 million, commonly described as about $232 million or $230 million, and involve assets and companies held or controlled through alleged intermediaries. One outlet also describes a lead from a tip about assets held by associates in a small European principality, which contributed to the broader tracing of his alleged “business empire.”
