Italy's finance police have seized assets and companies worth more than €200 million ($232 million) linked to the drug trafficking proceeds of the late mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, officials announced in May 2026 [1, 2]. The assets were spread across multiple countries, including Andorra, the Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, Switzerland, and Italy [1, 2].
Authorities identified eight companies connected to the laundering network, with five based in Spain, two in Gibraltar, and one in the Cayman Islands [1]. The group controlled a significant stake in a Lebanese bank as well as luxury real estate and gold assets [1].
Three suspects were arrested as part of the money laundering investigation [1, 2]. Palermo chief prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia said, "We believe we have identified a significant portion of the investments made by the mafia, including abroad" [1]. Giovanni Melillo, Italy's national anti-mafia prosecutor, described the seizures as "continuing the dismantling process needed to prevent the emergence of structures once again capable of projecting" influence [1].
Matteo Messina Denaro was arrested in January 2023 after 30 years on the run, captured when he visited a clinic in Palermo [1, 2]. He died of cancer in prison in September 2023, months after his arrest [1, 2]. Messina Denaro was convicted for the 1990s murders of anti-Mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, deadly bombings in 1993, and the kidnap and murder of a witness's son [2]. Despite his convictions, he denied being a member of Cosa Nostra during interviews after his arrest [2].
The seizure marks a significant step in the legal efforts to dismantle the financial networks that underpinned Messina Denaro's criminal operations. Prosecutors plan further investigations into related laundering activities linked to the mafia's remnants across Europe and the Middle East.
