“The Chinese mafia and the 'ndrangheta collaborate” / Bologna investigation: “Proceeds from drug dealing cleaned up in China”
Publication: 24.12.2023- Lorenzo Drigo
The Chinese mafia and the 'ndrangheta, according to a recent investigation by the Fiamme Gialle of Bologna, collaborate to clean up the proceeds of drug dealing in Italy
The connections and deals between the Chinese mafia and the 'Ndrangheta
A recent investigation by the Fiamme Gialle of Bologna managed to establish for the first time a direct link between the Chinese and the Italian mafia, in particular the 'Ndrangheta . A long and complex operation by the Guardia di Finanza with investigations launched even before Covid and which were intertwined with other operations conducted on Italian soil, for a total of tens of thousands of euros in turnover.

The investigation by the Fiamme Gialle of Bologna into the links between the Chinese mafia and the 'Ndrangheta , but also the Camorra, has been named " Aspromonte Emiliano " and sees Chinese organized crime playing the role of "banker" for Italian criminals . Roles were reversed, however, in the exchanges at the center of the investigations called " Sciallo-CashBack ", which revealed money transfers between Italy and China by textile companies regarding non-existent services. Finally, there is a third operation by the Fiamme Gialle on the illicit interactions between the Chinese mafia and the 'Ndrangheta, called "Madreperla" and which analyzed the role of the historic shirt manufacturer Marol1959, acquired by two Chinese spouses and then transferred to the China-based company Newco , which ultimately “recycled” the brand on other platforms.

The Aspromonte Emiliano operation of the Fiamme Gialle of Bologna
Of the three investigations that have established the links between the Chinese mafia and the 'Ndrangheta, the most recent and detailed is " Aspromonte Emiliano " which has not yet managed to ascertain the total extent of the turnover. The mechanism behind the exchanges sells the role of " banker " in Chinese crime, acquiring the "dirty" banknotes of illicit Italian business transactions (drug dealing above all others), and then cleaning them in China and transferring them back to whoever commissioned the exchange.

Thus, the Chinese mafia cleans up the dirty money of the 'Ndrangheta, transferring it back to secure current accounts and accounting for it with operations that are, in reality, impossible to verify given that they take place on Chinese territory. Central to the Bologna investigation is the role of the 49-year-old Chinese Jiang Chunjian , resident in Casalecchio di Reno and called, in some chats discovered by the investigators, "the banker". The cost for the 'Ndrangheta of a cash cleaning operation by the Chinese mafia can reach up to 12% of the total cleaned , with an average of 6/8%.