Bulgarian Clan Suspected in Arming Italian Mafia

Part of the weapons arsenal seized from the Bulgarian clan, destined for professional mafia killers in Calabria. Photo by 24 Hours

In a special operation, codenamed "Vratsa," Italian authorities have arrested four Bulgarians and one Italian.

In addition to those detained, there is a search warrant for a fifth person, also a Bulgarian national, the Bulgarian 24 Chasa (24 Hours) daily informs.

The report is published in several Italian media such as La Repubblica.

The four Bulgarians, arrested in the Calabrian town of Crotone, are members of the same family – they are identified as Atanas Iliev, his wife, Vaska Ilieva, their daughter, Rositsa Atanasova, and Iliev's sister, Donka Ilieva. The name of the person still at large has not been revealed.

According to Italian media, the Bulgarians provided weapons to Francesco Lerose, 58, from the town of Mesoraca. The police main lead is that the weapons were destined for the Calabrian mafia clan Ndragheta.

The authorities confiscated an entire arsenal of the Russian-made Zoraki, known as the preferred gun of professional killers. 8 of the 13 semi-automatic handguns, detained at the ports of Brindisi and Bari had silencers and were between 6.35 and 7.65-calliber.

The Italian authorities began their investigation after a check of the Bulgarians, who came from ferryboats in Brindisi and Bari. The probe revealed that in both cases the weapons were to be given to Lerose.

5 handguns, 6 chargers, 90 munitions, and 2 silencers were seized in Brindisi, with the later placing police on highest alert since silencers are commonly used by organized crime.

7 handguns with chargers, 6 silencers, and 100 bullets were detained in Bari.

In both cases, the weapons and the munitions were hidden in automobiles in which the Bulgarians traveled. The police traced the guns to the Calabrian mafia after tapping their phones.

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