One of a group of 25 people arrested in the police operation, Sister Anna Donelli is alleged by prosecutors to have taken advantage of her role as a prison volunteer to act as a contact between jailed members of the so-called ‘Ndrangheta mafia gang and members of the gang on the outside, reports the Daily Telegraph.
The gang is engaged in extortion and drug trafficking.
The Telegraph notes that the 57-year-old Sister volunteered at San Vittore prison in Milan and earlier this year won a civic award in recognition of her work in jails and in deprived areas of the city.
According to the Telegraph, investigators allege: “On many occasions, she acted as an intermediary, taking advantage of her religious work which allowed her full access to prisons.”
During a phone call that was intercepted as part of the operation, one of the arrested individuals allegedly told a contact: “If you need something inside, she’s one of ours.”
Police allege that the 25 people arrested were part of an attempt by the ‘Ndrangheta to expand criminal activities to the northern city of Brescia in the wealthiest part of the country, the Telegraph reports. Police confiscated assets worth more than €1.8 million (£1.5 million).
Based in Calabria in the southern end of Italy, over the past few decades the ‘Ndrangheta has established a presence not only in other parts of Italy but across the world, from South America to Australia. Much of its power and wealth is based on cocaine trafficking.
The gang’s unusual name, which derives from a Greek word for virtue or heroism, is linked to the history of the region. During ancient times Calabria was colonised by the Greeks, and to this day some of the region’s inhabitants still speak a Greek dialect known as Griko.
The ‘Ndrangheta is now considered to be the most powerful of Italy’s four mafia organisations.
The arrest operation was the culmination of an extended operation that began in 2020. Those under arrest are accused of a range of crimes including mafia association, vote buying, illegal possession of weapons, money laundering, loan sharking, drug dealing and false invoicing, reports the Telegraph.
Two of the arrested have political links. One is a former councillor for Brothers of Italy, the Right-wing party led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The other is a former member of the League, a party which is part of the national coalition government and led by Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.
The arrested group is alleged to be connected to the issuance of €12 million worth of invoices for nonexistent transactions that enabled complicit businesses to lower their income and thus evade taxes, the Telegraph reports.
In return, those businesses allegedly paid a commission to the gang.
The ‘Ndrangheta hit the headlines in November 2023 when more than 200 members of the gang were sentenced to a total of 2,200 years in prison.
The sentencing came at the end of the Italy’s biggest trial for more than 30 years.