Over the past 30 years, the eco-mafias have done more. 902,000 environmental crimes, With an average of one every 18 minutes, making almost illegal profits. 260 billion euros. These are the key figures from the Legambiente report, which celebrates 30 years since the first edition of “Ecomafia”.
Major crimes in regions with traditional mafia presence
According to the association, in Italy, in the last 30 years, exactly 902,356 environmental crimes have been recorded. Among them, 45.7% concentrated in areas with a. Strong presence of organized crime gave Campania Has a sorry record, after all Lombardy, Which is the northern region which has the highest number of aquarites. From 1995 to April 2024, 378 clans were registered, belonging to various mafia organizations, with a direct interest in all the “supply chains” of the eco-mafia. Illegal business collected by Legambant is estimated at 259.8 billion euros.
Regarding crimes in the illegal cement cycle, the most affected regions are Campania (30,177 crimes), followed by Calabria (22,849) and Puglia (18,788 criminal crimes). In fourth place is Lazio (18,115 crimes), followed by Sicily (17,346 crimes) and Tuscany in sixth place with 14,044 crimes. Lombardy, the first region in the north, is seventh with 10,831 crimes, followed by Liguria (8,409).
“There is no environmental protection without legality,” he says. Stefano Ciafani, National President of the Legambat. “The anniversary we celebrate today with the Carabinieri is not just a moment of celebration. The data we present reminds us not to let our defenders down. Environmental protection must be at the center of political choices. , as stated in Article 9 of the Italian Constitution. This is why we demand the approval of regulations that are still missing regarding the prevention and control, such as crimes against animals, agricultural piracy, and We demand from the state that illegal Step up your resolve to fight construction.”
Data related to illegal trafficking of waste
There have been a total of 608 investigations into the organized activity of illegal waste trafficking, recorded since February 2002, the year of the first application of Art. 53 bis of the Ronchi Decree, which is now provided for by Art. 452 of the Criminal Code
As a result of these investigations 3,424 arrests, 10,772 complaints, 1,691 companies involved. and the interest of 51 foreign states, particularly European and African. In 309 investigations (equivalent to 50.8% of the total) it was possible to determine the volume of waste seized, amounting to 60,576 million tonnes. Of these, 40.49% is sewage sludge and 39.64% is mixed industrial waste. Transported on 13.6 meter long 25 tonne trucks, 60,576,000 tonnes would be equivalent to 2,432,040 trucks seized, creating a queue 32,953 km long.
i illegal waste cycle, Campania tops the ranking with 22,400 crimes, followed by Puglia (14,516), Calabria (10,810) and Lazio (9,989). Sicily is in fifth place with 9,972 crimes, ahead of Tuscany (8,263) and Lombardy, confirmed as the first northern region in the waste cycle with 7,586 crimes. Note the eighth place of Piedmont with 7,044 crimes, which is instead 12th in the general ranking of environmental illegality.