The Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta,
Italy's biggest mafia due to its control of the European cocaine
market, is now interested in getting into the fentanyl market,
Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano said as part of his
intelligence service brief Tuesday.
"Fentanyl is not a traffic limited to the US. In the EU there
are signs in Portugal and GB. Our intelligence signals an
interest of 'Ndrangheta even if they are testing the market to
verify the advantages of their insertion in the market," he said
during the presentation at Palazzo Chigi of the 'National Plan
of prevention against the improper use of fentanyl and other
synthetic opiates'.
Mantovano described fentanyl, which has ravaged the USA, as "the
zombie drug, with as little as 1-2 milligrammes potentially
being lethal".
He said there had been "bad teachers" feeding the epidemic in
the US, including man rappers.
Health Minister Orazio Schillaci announced more controls to keep
fentanyl out of Italian users hands while Education Minister
Giuseppe Valditara said "we'll start off from teacher training
to fight fentanyl" and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said
"fentanyl has not arrived in Italy yet but it is a looming
threat to our youth".
Premier Giorgia Meloni said a national plan was needed to "ward
off the spread of fentanyl".
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