A nun has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of colluding with the mafia.
Sister Anna Donelli, a volunteer in Milan’s San Vittore prison, is suspected of acting as a go-between with the criminal group and its jailed gang members.
The 57-year-old was among 25 people detained as part of an investigation into the Ndrangheta mafia in the northern city of Brescia, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters news agency.
Donelli is also well-known for her service in Milan’s rundown districts, and received the city’s annual “Golden Panettone” civic award earlier this year.
Donelli is known for her work in Milan’s San Vittore Prison. File pic: High Contrast
It has not been possible to reach her lawyer for comment.
A police statement said two local politicians were also arrested, and that €1.8m (£1.49m) had been seized in the operation, but did not name any of the people targeted in the raid.
Suspects are accused of various crimes including mafia association, vote buying, illegal possession of weapons, money laundering, loan-sharking, drug dealing and false invoicing, police added.
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The alleged gang was connected to the issue of €12m (£9.94m) worth of invoices for non-existent transactions that enabled complicit entrepreneurs to lower their income and evade taxes in return for a commission paid to mobsters.
Originally from the poor southern region of Calabria, the ‘Ndrangheta has evolved into Italy’s most powerful mafia organisation.
The group has spread across Europe and the rest of the world, penetrating so-called white-collar crime.
