The police in Italy has confiscated assets worth over 200 million euros from the former head of the Sicilian mafia.

The Italian police announced on Thursday the confiscation of assets worth over 200 million euros, belonging to the deceased head of the Sicilian mafia, Matteo Messina Denaro. This action is part of an international operation targeting several territories with favorable tax regimes, including Andorra, Gibraltar, the Cayman Islands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Lebanon, Monaco, and Spain.

According to a statement from the Financial Guard, the wealth was accumulated starting in the 1980s from illegal activities, particularly drug trafficking, through offshore companies. The investigation led to the preventive arrest of three individuals.

Matteo Messina Denaro, known for his brutality, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, but he disappeared in 1993, becoming the most wanted criminal in Italy. He was arrested in January 2023 while heading for cancer treatment and died a few months later. Now, prosecutors are pursuing the revenues of his criminal empire.