Fraudulent Flow Decrees and phantom contracts: 22 precautionary measures triggered

Salerno - A well-established system capable of generating multimillion-euro turnover, exploiting the loopholes of the Immigration Flow Decree and the procedures for exposing undeclared work to grant fictitious residence permits to hundreds of non-EU citizens.

At dawn this morning, July 27, the Carabinieri of the Labor Protection Unit and the Finance Police of the Salerno Provincial Command, acting on orders from the Salerno District Anti-Mafia Directorate (DDA), executed a precautionary custody order against 22 people. Eighteen of the suspects were placed under house arrest, while the other four were required to sign in. The suspects are charged, to varying degrees, with transnational criminal conspiracy to aid and abet illegal immigration.

The blitz in ten provinces

Today's operation represents the final step in a complex investigative effort that in recent months had already led to judicial arrests and the seizure of large sums of cash. The military's scope of action has extended well beyond Campania: the measures were notified in the provinces of Salerno, Naples, Avellino, Benevento, Campobasso, Rome, Ancona, Pisa, Savona, and Brescia, demonstrating the criminal network's extensive reach both domestically and internationally.

A Pyramid Scheme: From "Click Day" to Ghost Companies

The investigations, conducted also with the aid of telephone and computer interceptions, allowed for the precise reconstruction of the structure and division of roles within the criminal organization:

Foreign intermediaries: Responsible for recruiting compatriots in their countries of origin (mainly Morocco, Bangladesh, and India) who are willing to pay exorbitant fees to obtain a residence permit in Italy.

Complacent employers: Entrepreneurs and business owners (some of which were created specifically for this purpose) who, in exchange for financial compensation, falsely certified that they met the hiring requirements.

Professionals and consultants: Intermediaries and freelancers specialized in preparing and packaging false bureaucratic documentation.

Telematic “forwarders”: Individuals specifically recruited to mass-submit clearance requests into ministerial computer systems during the hectic phases of the so-called Click Days.

The authorization requests submitted on behalf of hundreds of workers were found to be completely devoid of any evidence of actual employment. The investigation is now continuing to assess the further status of the individuals involved and precisely quantify the illicit proceeds accumulated by the network.