On 26 November 2024, the Italian Direzione Investigativa Antimafia (DIA) announced the outcome of Operation Gigante, which culminated in the arrest of six individuals, including a Genoa port logistics operator – whose name has not been disclosed – suspected of involvement in extensive international drug trafficking. The charges include fraudulent transfer of assets, conspiracy for international drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms, and extortion. In addition to the arrests, a plot of land in the Palermo area was seized, and searches were conducted at the homes of the suspects.
Operation Gigante stemmed from anti-mafia investigations by the DIA's Genoa office into several logistics companies, suspected of mafia infiltration by members of the Tommaso Natale clan from Palermo. The investigations led to anti-mafia prohibitive orders against these companies in 2022, and now to restrictive measures against six individuals, including the Ligurian logistics entrepreneur, an employee of a shipping company, a member of the Lo Piccolo family from Palermo, and three South American nationals.
According to investigators, the Ligurian entrepreneur and the mafia associate had purchased a plot of land in Palermo, fictitiously registering it to the Genoese company to avoid confiscation, as the asset was already subject to preventive property measures. The land, located in the Tommaso Natale-Cardillo neighbourhood of Palermo, held strategic value for the mafia family, which intended to change its designation from an orchard to a building zone. During the investigation, in addition to the seizure of the 5,000-square-metre plot, four pistols and 500 rounds of ammunition were found hidden by the entrepreneur inside a container belonging to his logistics company.
The Genoese entrepreneur is also accused of organising an international cocaine trafficking operation from South America, using his company with the assistance of an employee who forged documents to cover up the transactions. Several South American nationals were involved, facilitating the import of cocaine from Ecuador. The drugs, valued at over €600,000, were partly paid for in cash via illegal money transfer channels managed by Chinese nationals residing in Rome.
The investigation further revealed that, due to logistical issues at the port of Guayaquil in Ecuador, cocaine shipments destined for the port of Genoa between August 2022 and May 2023 faced significant delays. The illicit activities were reconstructed with the assistance of the Genoa Customs and Monopolies Agency. Additionally, according to investigators, the Genoese entrepreneur had used the firearms in his possession to threaten an individual with death to force them to surrender a property for loan use, which was then converted into tourist accommodation.
