A former member of the notorious Banda
della Magliana crime gang, Marcello Colafigli, was among 27
people arrested by Carabinieri police on Tuesday in an operation
targetting an international drugs-trafficking ring based in
Rome.
The Banda della Magliana, a now-defunct crime gang that was
active in the capital in the 1970s and 80s, was the inspiration
for Michele Placido's highly acclaimed movie 'Romanzo Criminale'
and a hit spin-off TV series.
Investigators believe that Colafigli was the leader of the ring,
and managed to organize the trade of major quantities of drugs
and maintain relations with figures from the 'Ndrangheta,
Camorra and Foggia mafias even though he was still serving a
term in a semi-liberty jail regime.
Tuesday's operation featured dawn raids in the provinces of
Rome, Naples, Foggia and Viterbo, with 11 suspects jailed and 16
put under house arrest.
Another is obliged to regularly sign in with the police.
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