#Newspaper

Mafia distributes food to Italy's struggling residents

//As Italy struggles to pull its economy through the coronavirus crisis, the Mafia is gaining local support by distributing free food to poor families in quarantine who have run out of cash, authorities have warned.

//“Millions of people work in the grey economy, which means that they haven’t received any income in more than a month and have no idea when they might return to work. The government is issuing so-called shopping vouchers to support people. If the state doesn’t step in soon to help these families, the mafia will provide its services, imposing their control over people’s lives.”Antimafia investigator said.

//The ramifications of the lockdown in Italy are affecting the estimated 3.3 million people in Italy who work off the books.

// There have been reports of small shop owners being pressured to give food for free, while police are patrolling supermarkets in some areas to stop thefts.

//The question of distributing food parcels is a tactic as old as the mafia itself, where in the south of Italy bosses have customarily presented themselves to the people as benefactors and local power brokers, initially without asking for anything in return.

//Dozens of investigations in the south have led to the arrests of politicians who have aided and abetted the mafia, and who were elected with the support of local Mafiosi who forced citizens to vote for them in exchange for services, such as a simple food parcel.

//This week, Itay’s antimafia prosecutor’s office said bosses would offer their virtually endless criminal capital to businesses in need, and then swallow them up. Then, they will use those businesses for money laundering profits from the criminal activities.

Full article : The Guardian, (10 Apr)

#Italy #Coronavirus #Lockdown #Mafia #Food