Dozens of alleged mafiosi were arrested Tuesday in a joint operation between the FBI and Italian police exposing alleged drug trafficking links between New York’s Cosa Nostra and the ‘Ndrangheta mafia in Italy, authorities said.
The FBI arrested seven people in New York, including members of the Bonanno and Gambino families. Authorities in Italy arrested 17 people in drug and money-laundering busts.
The U.S. and Italy made the arrests as part of “Operation New Bridge”, which targeted over 40 people across both countries for international drug trafficking in connection with the ‘Ndrangheta mafia, CNN reported.
The operation was the first ever jointly run by U.S. and Italian police aimed at unearthing the ties between the two countries’ leading mafia families, investigators also said.