Bellinzona trial for alleged 'ndrangheta trusted man in Switzerland

Since Monday, the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona has been trying a 59-year-old Italian national living in canton Aargau. He is accused of having been part of the 'ndrangheta active in Switzerland for twenty years. According to the prosecution, he was a trusted figure for the Anello-Fruci clan. The hearings are expected to continue until 11 September.

The case stems from the "Imponimento" investigation, which in July 2020 led to the arrest of more than 70 people in Switzerland and Italy. The investigation revealed the main activities of Italian criminal organisations in Switzerland: drug trafficking, arms trafficking to replenish the clan's arsenals, and money laundering through restaurants, nightclubs, currency exchange offices and the leasing of luxury cars.

An organisation rooted in the local economy

The Anello-Fruci clan has a strong entrepreneurial streak. Alongside illicit dealings, it made apparently legal investments that allowed it to become part of local society and operate without arousing suspicion. Another Swiss contact of the clan leader, also living in Aargau, ran a restaurant and sponsored the local football team. He was well known and liked in the area, so his arrest in 2020 came as a surprise to those who knew him.

The investigations carried out in Switzerland involved about a dozen people and made use of special means such as covert listening devices and an undercover federal police officer. His work made it possible to corroborate statements made by cooperating witnesses in Italy.

Across the border, the case has already led to several convictions, some confirmed on appeal. The clan leader was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the restaurant owner to 17. The cousin of the 59-year-old now on trial in Bellinzona, who worked as a municipal labourer in the Lugano area, was sentenced at first instance to 11 years, later reduced on appeal to 10 years and 8 months.

For the clan, Switzerland is said to have served as a kind of safe: illicit funds, mostly from drug trafficking, arrived there and were reinvested to generate further profits. The accumulated reserves stayed secure on Swiss territory, ready to be moved back to Italy whenever the clan leader needed cash. Switzerland is also said to have secured the supply of weapons and ammunition: a small arsenal was seized in Ticino, at the 59-year-old's home.