In Italy, the mafia and other organised criminal groups are increasingly utilising cryptocurrency. In an interview with Zeit Online, the Italian Anti-Mafia Directorate (DIA), our country’s police body dedicated to combating this sort of crime, claimed this. Dia’s representative stated that virtually all criminal groups, especially mafia-type organisations, are very interested in leveraging digital assets to benefit their company. However, for reasons of personal safety, the identity of the questioned spokesman is withheld.
The DIA report
The statements in question are just a confirmation of the DIA’s recent assessment on organised crime and its operations in the first half of 2020. That is the most recent period for which accessible data has been processed. In which he recalls how the Ndrangheta, the country’s most powerful criminal organisation, is becoming increasingly in tune with cryptocurrencies and the deep web.
It is also mentioned in the study that digital money is used to secretly pay for synthetic narcotics such as Ecstasy or LSD, a trade that has clearly expanded since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out.
The Chainalysis ratio
What the DIA confirmed in its study confirms previous signals as well as other comparable findings. Among these is one released by Chainalysis, which claims that while the number of dark web markets is dropping, the income of the criminal groups that frequent them is growing.
These activities would primarily include the usage of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Tether. A minor surprise, given that so-called privacy currencies, like as Monero, Zcash, Grin, and others, have been accused for some time of providing maximum secrecy to people who use them.
Ingo Fiedler’s opinion
The available evidence, according to Ingo Fiedler, co-founder of the Blockchain Research Lab, suggests that cryptography is increasingly becoming a regular tool for major criminal groups. Starting with the mafias that the Italian Anti-Mafia Directorate is fighting.
Only the most powerful organisations, according to Fiedler, can conceal their actions by eradicating their traces. Who can afford to hire true professionals for this type of activity, which is frequently too expensive for low-level criminals? As a result, the number of people who utilise the dark web is steadily declining. The inverse of what occurs with the quantity of money that passes through these types of markets.
Are cryptocurrencies anassurance for prearranged crime?
According to what has been mentioned so far, digital money appears to be a guarantee for criminal organisations and people who wish to lose track of their money. A theory, however, that has been consistently refuted, not just by cryptocurrency enthusiasts, but also by academics.
Starting with GaspareJucanSicignano, a criminal law scholar at Naples’ SuorOrsolaBenincasa University. In his article “Bitcoin and Recycling,” he stated that this token will provide very little assurances to those who want to use it for illegal activities. In reality, the blockchain would allow anybody to examine a transaction and learn about the persons involved.If the portfolios participating in the operations were anonymous, basic digital forensic procedures would be sufficient to disclose all.
