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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:08,200 REPORTER: Hundreds of alleged members 2 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,000 of Italy's most powerful Mafia group, The 'Ndrangheta, 3 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:12,920 are being prosecuted. 4 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,840 REPORTER 2: There is a reason why this is called a maxi-trial. 5 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:22,040 ROSS KEMP: In 2021, sentencing began 6 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,440 In one of the biggest Mafia trials in history. 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,760 REPORTER 3: In all, 207 gang members were sentenced 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:36,800 to a total of 2,200 years behind bars. 9 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,440 The trial, which has lasted for three years, 10 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:45,920 heard evidence of murder, corruption, extortion, 11 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:47,640 and money laundering. 12 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:49,080 - (speaking Italian) 13 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:54,840 KEMP: The accused were from 14 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,080 the most notorious branch of the Mafia, 15 00:00:57,240 --> 00:00:59,320 the 'Ndrangheta. 16 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:02,880 - 'Ndrangheta is very, very strong. 17 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:05,720 'Ndrangheta international, very, very strong. 18 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,440 - They know how to make money, and they have money. 19 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:11,120 Silence is their power. 20 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:14,280 REPORTER: Even with mass convictions, 21 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:16,920 many question how much the 'Ndrangheta's influence 22 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:20,760 will diminish. The Mafia can do business from behind bars. 23 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:24,160 KEMP: Before the trial, the main prosecutor was quoted 24 00:01:24,320 --> 00:01:28,000 as saying that: "The 'Ndrangheta's interests in the UK 25 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,800 have figured prominently, as clans have used the country 26 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:34,200 as an investment and money-laundering base." 27 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:36,520 If that proved to be the case, 28 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:40,440 it could change what we know about the Mafia and Britain. 29 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:42,920 (sombre music) 30 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,000 The Mafia, historically, is a hierarchical, 31 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,080 structured organised crime group from southern Italy. 32 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:13,720 But what exactly is its relationship with Britain? 33 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:18,800 I've travelled around the world to try and find out. 34 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,760 - I took him apart in there, wound up on that kerb right there. 35 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:28,079 KEMP: From the glitz and glamour of London's casinos in the 1960s, 36 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:30,440 which attracted the American Mob... 37 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:32,800 - Carlo Gambino. 38 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:34,360 - You met John Gotti? - Yes. 39 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:36,560 - Big members of The Five Families. - Big. 40 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:39,480 KEMP: .. to the Colombian drug-trafficking operation 41 00:02:39,640 --> 00:02:41,240 in the '80s and '90s, 42 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:46,720 which fuelled a cocaine epidemic across Europe and the UK. 43 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:50,200 - 300, 400, 500 kilos in one airplane. 44 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,640 KEMP: My journey took me to Italy, 45 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,840 to discover more about a powerful wing of the Mafia, 46 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:58,320 the 'Ndrangheta... 47 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,280 ..which in recent years has risen to become 48 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,600 one of the most influential Mafia groups. 49 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,640 Just how rich and powerful are they? 50 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,200 - The illegal business, we can only guess. 51 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:19,400 It's about 50 billion euros. It could be twice as much. 52 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,360 KEMP: And a former member has revealed 53 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,160 what he believes is their connection to Britain. 54 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,320 To truly understand the extent of the 'Ndrangheta's operation, 55 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,280 I'm heading to their heartland in southern Italy. 56 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:49,880 I'm just about to enter Calabria, 57 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,280 one of the poorest regions in Europe. 58 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:57,360 Historically, its mountains were home to bandits and kidnappers, 59 00:03:57,520 --> 00:03:58,880 the ancestral home 60 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,720 of one of the world's most powerful organised crime groups. 61 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:08,360 Since the 19th century, 62 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:12,840 the small town of Plati has been an 'Ndrangheta stronghold. 63 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:16,720 They have found their strength 64 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:19,760 in their ability to rely on traditional family loyalties, 65 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,400 and a code of silence. 66 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,720 While not everyone who lives there is a member, 67 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,840 Plati is still home to many of the bosses. 68 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:37,640 Wow! It's not a bad view to have from your office. 69 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:39,000 - Sí. 70 00:04:39,159 --> 00:04:43,520 KEMP: Maresciallo Di Gioia is head of the police station 71 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:45,159 in Plati. 72 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:50,320 This must be one of the most sensitive police stations 73 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:52,520 in the whole of Italy. - Sí. 74 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:29,560 - So they'll know that we're here? - Sure. 75 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:33,360 - Really? 76 00:05:36,159 --> 00:05:37,560 They know everything. 77 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:44,200 It's unnerving, though not surprising, 78 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,960 to know that the 'Ndrangheta are watching us. 79 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:52,040 Traditionally, they have specialised in numerous criminal enterprises, 80 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,480 including kidnapping, drug-trafficking 81 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:57,000 and money laundering. 82 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:02,120 So this house, right? 83 00:06:02,280 --> 00:06:05,400 The marshal is taking me to the former safehouse 84 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:09,240 of one of the 'Ndrangheta's top bosses. 85 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:11,360 Can we go in? 86 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:21,360 (dog barks) 87 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,240 A few years ago, the police raided the property. 88 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,840 So there is an electronic switch in this house 89 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,480 that opens up a trapdoor? 90 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:48,680 Can you show me the entrance? 91 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:57,720 Just take my coat for me, and my hat. Thank you. 92 00:06:57,880 --> 00:06:59,360 There we go. 93 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,720 Oh, it is tight, isn't it? (exhales) 94 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:08,600 Here we go. (exhales) 95 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:15,680 Oh, wow. 96 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:18,400 Yeah, there is a bunker down here. 97 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,400 So how many houses do you think in this village have bunkers? 98 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:39,880 There's a large room, and off that large room 99 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,640 there are separate tunnels. 100 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:57,000 But it's a tight squeeze. 101 00:07:57,159 --> 00:07:58,240 (exhales) 102 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,200 In a hurry, it wouldn't really matter 103 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:04,120 whether you bashed yourself, 104 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,120 cos you wouldn't want to get caught by you lot. 105 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:15,840 Some of the 'Ndrangheta's bunkers have boasted luxury bedrooms, 106 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,360 running water, jacuzzis, and security cameras. 107 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:20,960 Grazie. 108 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:24,640 And since members of the 'Ndrangheta are nearly always connected 109 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:30,400 by blood, very few have ever talked or become pentiti, 110 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:32,840 literally 'a repentant.' 111 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,200 Pentiti turn against their organised crime group 112 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:38,320 to collaborate with the authorities. 113 00:08:40,039 --> 00:08:44,760 On one occasion, a Mafia boss was in hiding for 14 years 114 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,560 before being discovered. 115 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:50,680 REPORTER: This video shows the arrest of an alleged Mafia boss 116 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:52,680 who specialised in extortion. 117 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:54,240 (siren wails) 118 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:58,760 - How many tunnels do you think there are in this town? 119 00:09:01,680 --> 00:09:04,480 So effectively, this town is like a piece of Swiss cheese: 120 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:07,400 it's got tunnels all the way through it. 121 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,440 So you can cross town, without being seen. 122 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:13,000 - Sí, sí. 123 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:46,680 KEMP: From small rural towns in Calabria riddled with tunnels, 124 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:51,000 the 'Ndrangheta became a major international force. 125 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,840 Today they're estimated to operate 126 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:56,840 a large part of Europe's cocaine trade, 127 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:01,960 and they're thought to be worth around $72 billion. 128 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,520 But are they operating in Britain? 129 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:13,440 In 2021, one of Italy's largest court trials began 130 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:14,680 here in Calabria. 131 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:16,320 (Italian) 132 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,520 REPORTER: The trial, which has lasted for three years, 133 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:28,920 heard evidence of murder, corruption, extortion, 134 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:30,760 and money laundering. 135 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:41,480 KEMP: Before the trial, 136 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,000 an Italian prosecutor accused the 'Ndrangheta 137 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:48,440 of funnelling money through companies in Britain. 138 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:52,680 - I remember a merchant banker in the City of London 139 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:55,560 telling me that he loved to handle Mafia money. 140 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:00,640 KEMP: It was an extraordinary accusation. 141 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,880 I've managed to contact a Mafia prosecutor 142 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:07,440 working in this region to find out more. 143 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:12,040 Testament to how dangerous it is to be a prosecutor here in Calabria 144 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:15,320 is the fact that we're not allowed to film going into their building 145 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:19,280 behind me. It also only has one way in, 146 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,640 and that's over a moat that's 20 metres deep. 147 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,120 ROSS KEMP: I'm investigating Britain's links to the Mafia. 148 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,720 I'm now in Calabria in the south of Italy, 149 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:43,480 the ancestral home of the 'Ndrangheta, 150 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:46,680 a powerful and dominant branch of the Mafia. 151 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:49,600 Prosecutor. 152 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,640 Giuseppe Lombardo is the state prosecutor here, 153 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:59,080 and he and his team have been investigating the 'Ndrangheta 154 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:01,320 for the last 26 years. 155 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:05,360 When your life is at risk every day, 156 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:07,240 why do you come to work? 157 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:08,960 Why do you do what you do? 158 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:45,920 How far do you think their power stretches? 159 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:02,920 That's more money than major corporations can make. 160 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:04,360 Where does that cash go? 161 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:06,880 How do you legitimise that amount of money? 162 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:30,440 London? London? 163 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:32,120 London? - London. 164 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:34,760 - Why particularly London? 165 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:37,400 What's attractive about the City of London? 166 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:04,040 If that's true, just how aware were the British authorities 167 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:08,320 of this alleged criminal connection, and what are they doing about it? 168 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,680 I've discovered that over 30 years ago, 169 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,440 at the behest of the Italian government, 170 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:17,760 Scotland Yard sent a detective to Rome 171 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:22,360 to investigate the UK's relationship with the Mafia. 172 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:26,200 So I'm heading to meet him. 173 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:43,360 Gus. - Oh, hi. 174 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:45,960 - Good to meet you. - Really pleased meet you too. 175 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:49,680 KEMP: Gus Jones was a detective 176 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,200 working in the Organised Crime division in London 177 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:55,760 when he received a new posting. 178 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:00,920 Gus, when did you come to Italy? 179 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:03,840 - First came here late 1990. 180 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,440 - Specifically looking at the Mafia, yeah? 181 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:09,040 - Yeah. Our knowledge of Italian organised crime 182 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:13,480 and Italian enforcement agencies was pretty minimal in the UK. 183 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:17,000 - Right. - I think I met Judge Falcone, 184 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:19,520 it'd be the spring of early 1990. 185 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,600 KEMP: In the 1980s and early '90s, 186 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:29,160 the leading anti-Mafia prosecutor was Giovanni Falcone. 187 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:34,960 REPORTER: Falcone and Borsellino did more to damage the Mafia 188 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:37,120 than anyone since the War. 189 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:38,560 KEMP: Now I'm hearing 190 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:42,680 that he and fellow prosecutor Paolo Borsellino 191 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:45,920 were on the trail of Mafia money in the UK. 192 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:50,880 - We organised the contacts for him, in the Channel Islands and Guernsey 193 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:52,480 in particular. - Tax havens. 194 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,520 - Tax havens, yeah. No-one could put a figure on it, 195 00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:00,400 but you're talking multi-millions, not billions of... it was lira then, 196 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:03,960 of course, coming through London and going to various sources. 197 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:07,080 - So Falcone was aware that there was a connection 198 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:08,560 between Mafia money 199 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:10,640 made from drugs in Italy... - Correct. 200 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:12,920 .. and laundering in the UK? - Exactly. 201 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:19,640 KEMP: Falcone had become a thorn in the Sicilian Mafia's side. 202 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:22,000 - I saw him in a meeting here in Rome. 203 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:25,360 I went to speak to him, and he said: "The message is going out: 204 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,200 I'm becoming too effective, causing too much trouble, 205 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:29,880 and my time is up." 206 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:31,400 - He said that? - Yes. 207 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:35,800 KEMP: Just two weeks later, Falcone was assassinated. 208 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:41,000 REPORTER: The Falcone bomb was a ruthless demonstration 209 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:42,640 of the Mafia's military might. 210 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:48,160 KEMP: Not long before Falcone's death, 211 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:51,800 Gus had been collaborating with his Italian counterparts 212 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:54,440 on a confidential report. 213 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:58,160 He submitted his findings to London. 214 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:01,400 - We prepared a thing called the Rome Report, which is entitled: 215 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:03,640 ‘The Mafia and why it matters to us.' 216 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:07,240 One of the main conclusions in our report 217 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:10,880 is in the field of money laundering, that the Italians believed that we, 218 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,440 the United Kingdom, have the most cause for concern, 219 00:17:14,599 --> 00:17:19,240 and the monies being generated had been passing through London, 220 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:21,520 offshore, and into property and businesses. 221 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,920 We were trying to make people aware as to the dangers 222 00:17:25,079 --> 00:17:29,600 we'd suffer as a result of Italian organised crime's activities. 223 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:34,960 KEMP: Gus' Rome Report documented evidence 224 00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:39,920 of alleged dirty money from the Mafia infiltrating Britain. 225 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:42,360 So how far did it go? 226 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:45,720 - It went to the Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary. 227 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:47,520 - And did we take it seriously? 228 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:51,040 - Very few people did. If you spoke to anyone then, 229 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,960 and probably now, and mentioned it, what the situation is, 230 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:56,360 they'd say, "No idea what you're talking about." 231 00:17:57,320 --> 00:17:59,800 KEMP: Gus believes his copy of this report 232 00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:01,880 is one of the few that remain. 233 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,280 - It's still very relevant. It's far worse. 234 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,000 - Basically, that report you wrote 30 years ago 235 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:08,840 is even more relevant now. - Correct. 236 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,040 - But people remain ignorant of it? - Exactly. 237 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,960 We're still in denial. We were in denial then. 238 00:18:14,120 --> 00:18:16,040 It worked with some, but not many. 239 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:21,440 KEMP: According to Gus, the report may not have been taken seriously 240 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,080 by the British government of the day, 241 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:26,400 but when it was leaked to a newspaper, 242 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,840 the Mafia took it very seriously. 243 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:31,640 For you personally, Gus, 244 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:33,920 what happened when the report was leaked? 245 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:38,040 - Named me. And my son, he was going to school. 246 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:41,200 He came back upstairs and said, "Dad, I've found three bullets 247 00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:42,440 on our doorstep." 248 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:44,480 - How old was he? - He was 11. 249 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:47,400 And of course, there are... my family has three members: 250 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,280 me, my wife and my son. - Pretty clear message, isn't it? 251 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,240 - Clear message, but that's exactly what happened. 252 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:56,480 KEMP: Although the Rome Report 253 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:59,480 was investigating the Sicilian Mafia, 254 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,400 in the 30 years since Gus left Italy, 255 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:05,360 it is the 'Ndrangheta wing of the Mafia 256 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,800 that has expanded global operations. 257 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:13,320 - They are now the power, especially with cocaine trafficking. 258 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,720 Not just Europe or Italy, worldwide, they control it. And of course, 259 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:19,640 that generates even more money, huge amounts of money. 260 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:21,720 - There's no point earning lots of money 261 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:25,000 unless you can actually spend it. - Exactly. A huge percentage 262 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:26,200 goes through London. 263 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:32,520 KEMP: Gus believes that Britain has been laundering money 264 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:34,280 for many years. 265 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:36,360 If that's true, how is it getting there? 266 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:45,160 - I never got stopped. I never, ever got looked at. 267 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:46,920 Straight away straight through. 268 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:05,320 ROSS KEMP: On a recent trip to Italy I was told that by the 1990s 269 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:08,160 Britain had become a possible location 270 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:10,560 to launder Mafia money. 271 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:16,000 (Italian) 272 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:18,120 London? - London. 273 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,720 KEMP: But if that's the case, how did large amounts of cash 274 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:24,000 make it across the border? 275 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:26,280 I'm hoping that a bizarre news story 276 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,080 about a British-Italian housewife from Lancashire 277 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:32,000 might give me some answers. 278 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:37,600 In 1994, Marisa Merico, 279 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,640 a mother of two, was jailed for laundering illegal money 280 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:43,800 here in the UK. 281 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:48,080 She's now out of prison and living in Britain, 282 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:50,320 and willing to talk to me. 283 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:55,080 - Hi, hi! - How are you? 284 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:56,320 - Good, thank you. 285 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:00,240 KEMP: Marisa Merico is the daughter 286 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,520 of one of Italy's most notorious Mafia godfathers, 287 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:06,720 Emilio Di Giovine. 288 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:11,720 - My mother is from here. - Oh, right. 289 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:14,440 - A northern girl. And then she went to Italy. 290 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:18,040 She was an au pair out there, and that's where she met my dad, 291 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:20,160 and I came along in 1970. 292 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:23,560 KEMP: Her parents' separation 293 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:26,520 would lead to an extraordinary double life, 294 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:30,360 with Marisa living between Lancashire and Milan. 295 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:33,960 Very nice house. - Thank you. 296 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:36,280 I feel very lucky to be here. 297 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:38,320 - In many ways? - Yeah. 298 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:41,560 There's been quite dangerous times in my life, 299 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,800 especially when I got married. - What? Why, when you got married? 300 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:48,840 - Cos there was two bike riders waiting at my wedding 301 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:50,960 to shoot my dad. They were ready. - Sicarios? 302 00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:53,160 It could have been a bloodbath, my wedding. 303 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:57,440 I was about three months pregnant at the time when I got married too. 304 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:01,160 KEMP: Having served two life sentences, 305 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:06,640 Emilio Di Giovine has now retired from his former life. 306 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:10,400 - This is my dad. Papa! - Eh. Oh, sorry. 307 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:13,400 - Hello. I'm Ross. 308 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:15,120 - Hi. - (she laughs) 309 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:18,920 KEMP: Emilio is now working as a chef in Italy, 310 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:21,440 and has flown over to meet me. 311 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:25,120 Effectively, your dad was a boss inside the 'Ndrangheta, correct? 312 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:26,920 - Yeah, that's right. 313 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:29,880 And everybody looked up to him, everybody had respect. 314 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:32,840 So they treated me a bit different, I guess. 315 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:36,080 Yeah. 316 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:42,160 - Any guy that came near your daughter, that'd be a no-no. 317 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,480 Marisa's grandmother, Maria Serraino, 318 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:56,640 known as Granny Heroin, 319 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:01,160 ran a notorious Mafia clan with her son, Emilio. 320 00:23:02,360 --> 00:23:05,360 They were the bosses of a hugely profitable 321 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:09,120 drug-trafficking operation based in Milan. 322 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:28,680 Aged just 17, Marisa moved to Italy 323 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:31,360 to join the family business. 324 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:35,720 - I got involved, little by little, because I was clean, 325 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:38,640 with an English passport. - A very handy thing to have. 326 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:42,840 - Oh, yeah. I used to be able to go through airports, get past anything 327 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:45,880 because I looked so innocent. - What were you actually doing? 328 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:48,680 - I was taking money 329 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,960 to pay for the shipments of the cannabis. 330 00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:56,960 I used to like big, Bridget Jones knickers, that's what you call them. 331 00:23:57,120 --> 00:23:58,640 - Right - And stuff all the money 332 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:01,720 all round, like this. - Yeah, yeah. 333 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:04,680 - To the point where it wouldn't look suspicious. 334 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:06,320 - How much were you carrying? 335 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:08,680 - 150,000, more. 336 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:10,440 I was quite slim. - FATHER: 150,000. 337 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:15,480 And I could... I could fit quite a lot. I never got stopped. 338 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:18,720 I never, ever got looked at. 339 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,800 KEMP: Marisa made the perfect money mule. 340 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:26,760 No-one suspected her, which was great for the family business. 341 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:30,760 A week? - A week, yeah. 342 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:34,120 - Wow! - He was supplying nine countries. 343 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:36,560 - But when you're making that kind of cash, 344 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:38,280 you've got to clean it somehow. 345 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:47,840 And it wasn't a problem laundering it? 346 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,800 In Switzerland, Emilio and Marisa's Mafia family 347 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,040 deposited millions of pounds of drug money 348 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,320 into various banks and other businesses. 349 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:08,120 - We had an accountant that made us shareholders of, 350 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:11,680 I think... waterworks shareholders. 351 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:14,480 We had a leather factory. 352 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,200 You know, we just invested a lot of money into that, 353 00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:19,680 just laundered it like that. 354 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,160 - So you've gone from being in Lancashire 355 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:25,480 to owning a waterworks treatment and a leather factory, 356 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:28,960 and transporting 150,000... - Above. 357 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:31,040 ..in your knickers? - Yeah. 358 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:37,240 KEMP: When Emilio was arrested for murder in 1992, 359 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:39,400 Marisa was expected to lead 360 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:41,920 one of the most dangerous crime families in Europe 361 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:45,120 at the age of just 22. 362 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,200 So you became a boss, effectively? He trusts you, 363 00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:52,400 that's why you take that position. - Yeah. You're right in that way. 364 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:55,680 Yeah. So I used to go every weekend to prison. 365 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:57,360 - Were you conducting business 366 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:00,720 when you met your dad? - Yeah. Well, he was giving me notes 367 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:02,920 to give to all his men. 368 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:05,640 The organisation was still going for another year. 369 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:07,280 - Making lots of... - Money. 370 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:11,120 KEMP: Marisa's time running the family business 371 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:15,160 was soon cut short: her aunt turned police informant, 372 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,480 giving up the names of the entire organisation. 373 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:21,480 - That's 300 people. - Arrested. 374 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:23,920 - Her own son, her own mum. 375 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:26,720 Yeah. 376 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:30,120 KEMP: In the chaos, Marisa fled to the UK. 377 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,240 - I managed to get my daughter back to my mum's. 378 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,200 - Yeah. - I then transferred 379 00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:40,440 just short of £500,000 to the UK. 380 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:42,360 - From where? - Coutts Bank. 381 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:47,560 KEMP: Coutts is one of the most reputable 382 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:50,600 and elite private banks in Britain. 383 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:57,440 - I then bought myself a showhome, because it was already kitted out, 384 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,400 and I came with nothing, had to leave everything behind. 385 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:03,520 And then about a year later, 386 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:05,680 they came knocking. - Who are 'they?' 387 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,280 - Customs and Excise. Bang, bang, bang. 388 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,840 Came in and searched the house. 389 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:15,800 I was arrested, and I got taken to the police station in Blackpool. 390 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:19,560 Then I got transferred to HMP Durham. 391 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,360 - What were you convicted of? - Money laundering. 392 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:25,040 I got convicted, three years, nine months. 393 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:29,120 KEMP: By buying her showhome in the UK, 394 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:34,360 Marisa was cleaning Mafia money through a legitimate investment. 395 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:37,400 What about the Italian authorities? Did they not want you? 396 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:39,920 - Yes. So as soon as I got released in Durham, 397 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:45,200 I get extradited to Italy. Got ten years, 398 00:27:45,360 --> 00:27:47,280 taken down to six years. 399 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:49,720 - When you look back on it now, 400 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:52,640 is it like looking back at somebody else's life? 401 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:54,680 - Yeah, it is. 402 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:58,720 You're living your life looking behind you all the time. 403 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,120 You know, I'm a strong woman. I'm a survivor, I guess, 404 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:03,920 in a lot of ways. - So's your dad. 405 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:05,280 - Yeah. 406 00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:25,720 KEMP: Marisa's extraordinary story has revealed 407 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:30,440 how a British bank inadvertently handled Mafia money. 408 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:35,280 REPORTER: Experts suspect billions of pounds are laundered 409 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:37,960 into the UK through property every year. 410 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:42,760 KEMP: A number of British banks have been investigated 411 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,200 by the Financial Conduct Authority. 412 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:51,680 In 2012, Coutts was fined £8.75 million 413 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:56,320 but that was dwarfed by other fines. Over the next ten years, 414 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:00,200 HSBC was charged 64 million, 415 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,400 NatWest 264 million, 416 00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:06,360 and Santander and Standard Chartered 417 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:10,000 were fined over 100 million each. 418 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:13,960 All were found to have serious and persistent gaps 419 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:18,040 in their anti-money laundering controls in the UK. 420 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:22,320 - Banks in Britain and around the world 421 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:24,680 unwittingly launder millions of pounds 422 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:26,840 of so-called dirty money. Laundering, 423 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,360 as it's known, effectively turns criminal money 424 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,440 into legitimate money, making it harder for the authorities 425 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:35,240 to trace its origins and so track down the criminals. 426 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:41,080 KEMP: If the Mafia were washing dirty money in Britain, 427 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,720 how long has it been going on for? 428 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:49,680 I'm about to meet someone who was operating on the inside. 429 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:56,800 Thanks for agreeing to meet us. - (distorted voice) No problem. 430 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:01,640 KEMP: In the late '80s and early 1990s, 431 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:03,160 ‘Keef,' a pseudonym, 432 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:05,600 worked as an undercover money launderer 433 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:10,400 for UK Customs and Excise. The people he deceived 434 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:13,120 and helped to prosecute are so dangerous 435 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:15,440 that even more than 30 years on, 436 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:18,200 Keef will only conduct this interview 437 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:22,240 anonymously and with an altered voice. 438 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,280 When when do your bosses decide that you're the kind of person 439 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:28,120 that should work undercover? - I'd been in Investigation 440 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:32,360 for a number of years by that stage, and a new team had been set up 441 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:35,120 that dealt with high-level criminals, 442 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:39,880 and the idea was that we were to infiltrate drug cartels 443 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:42,560 and get as much information as possible. 444 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:45,160 - But you were putting your life on the line, 445 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:47,320 weren't you? - You do have to accept 446 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:50,360 that there is a fair amount of danger in what you're doing. 447 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:55,560 KEMP: In the early 1990s, as the US Mob weakened, 448 00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:57,440 the South American drug cartels 449 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,800 started dealing directly with their European counterparts. 450 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:06,080 Keef was introduced to the cartels by an undercover DEA agent 451 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:08,480 as a specialised money launderer. 452 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:13,200 - The Americans had picked up physical amounts of cash 453 00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:19,320 from the Mafia, and they would then bring it to me, physically, 454 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,800 in London, in suitcases. I would actually take that money 455 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:27,280 and put it through the bank, into our shell companies 456 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:28,720 in this country. 457 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:32,600 KEMP: Shell companies are inactive businesses, 458 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:36,320 used as a front for legitimising dirty money. 459 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:39,800 - What they didn't realise was, 460 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:42,040 the people that were washing the money 461 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:46,320 were in fact undercover agents from the DEA and UK Customs. 462 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:51,760 KEMP: Keef and his fellow undercover operatives 463 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:55,800 were part of a vast international money laundering investigation 464 00:31:55,960 --> 00:32:00,320 into the cartels and the Mafia in the early 1990s 465 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:03,680 called Operation Green Ice. 466 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:06,080 REPORTER: For the first time, British Customs 467 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:08,880 was about to launder money as part of an operation. 468 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:13,960 KEMP: In order for the cartels and the Mafia to trust Keef', 469 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:17,280 he posed as a successful businessman. 470 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,400 - Drove a Rolls Royce car in the UK. 471 00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:23,280 - Sorry, hang on a minute. You drove a Rolls Royce? 472 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:27,480 - Yes, it was a seized car from a gold smuggler 473 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:32,000 that we'd adapted, and they provided me with a luxury flat. 474 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:33,920 - That's important, isn't it? 475 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:38,240 It's not just that you show up in these things once every month, 476 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:40,520 you have to live that life permanently. 477 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:46,040 - Yeah, it did put the pressure. I didn't see my children, my wife. 478 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:49,880 KEMP: Once embedded, the scale of the problem 479 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:51,920 soon became apparent. 480 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:56,120 Just how much money laundering was going on at that time? 481 00:32:57,160 --> 00:32:58,800 - There was quite a lot. 482 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:01,360 The late '80s, early '90s, 483 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,160 some of the overseas banks that were here in the City 484 00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:08,040 would not ask too many questions of their customer. 485 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:10,960 It's big, big business. 486 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:12,960 I think the money laundering business 487 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:16,160 is the third largest industry in the world, 488 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:18,560 behind oil and agriculture. 489 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:20,680 It's massive. 490 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:26,560 KEMP: To expose this vast criminal operation, 491 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:31,120 Keef and his team had to try and flush out the people at the top. 492 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,880 - We would be able to slow things down, 493 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:44,240 cause problems in the financial system. 494 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:48,280 Then you'll be surprised how many people come out of the woodwork 495 00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:50,280 to find out where their money is. 496 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:52,680 - So part of your money laundering operation 497 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:56,360 was actually to pass on intelligence 498 00:33:56,520 --> 00:33:59,120 that would reveal who was at the top of the tree? 499 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:01,760 - That was the objective all the time. 500 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,200 - And you were following it all the way? 501 00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:06,200 - Oh, it was always being tracked, yeah. 502 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:08,800 And it exposed the Mafia in a big way 503 00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:11,760 to identify all their money laundering people. 504 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:17,560 KEMP: Operation Green Ice relied on a global intelligence network 505 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:21,679 involving agents at the highest possible levels, 506 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:26,120 and in September 1992, it came to a head. 507 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,520 REPORTER: In a series of raids, over 200 people, 508 00:34:30,679 --> 00:34:34,719 including seven major financiers, arrested. 509 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:37,000 - Eight countries took part on the day 510 00:34:37,159 --> 00:34:40,840 in a simultaneous bust, and one of the major people was a guy 511 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:44,239 who the Italian police described as 512 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:47,639 the major cocaine trafficker in the world. 513 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:53,040 That also led to them identifying over 1.3 billion had been invested 514 00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:57,360 by the Mafia in hotels, small industries and shops. 515 00:34:57,520 --> 00:34:59,920 So it was a big, big hit. 516 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:04,560 KEMP: Operation Green Ice resulted in the arrests 517 00:35:04,720 --> 00:35:07,200 of major players from the Colombian cartels 518 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:11,400 and the Italian Mafia. Millions of pounds, dollars, jewels 519 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:13,280 and property were seized. 520 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:16,320 They found more than 700 kilogrammess of drugs, 521 00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:19,600 and closed 15 companies used as fronts 522 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:22,040 for trafficking and money laundering. 523 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:24,440 It's still to this day 524 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:28,760 one of the biggest single takedown operations ever conducted. 525 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:31,640 Were you not at risk 526 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:33,720 when this operation was finally closed? 527 00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:37,440 - Yes, but you hope that your colleagues 528 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:39,080 are looking after your back. 529 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:43,200 - Did you take any other kind of steps 530 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:45,720 in order to ensure your safety? 531 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:49,040 - Yeah, I did take a little bit of a drastic step: 532 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:52,680 I decided that I'd have cosmetic surgery to change my appearance, 533 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:56,160 because I was still working against cartel members at the time. 534 00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:58,600 - That was a bit drastic. - I felt more comfortable 535 00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:02,680 meeting them, and it gave me confidence that I could carry on. 536 00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:06,920 - How and why did it come to an end for you? 537 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:11,880 - I'd done enough, and also you can't go on for that long 538 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:16,000 doing this work. It's not the life of a normal person, 539 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:18,400 and its's time to get out. 540 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:21,200 - Thanks for agreeing to talk to us. - No problem. 541 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:26,120 KEMP: Operation Green Ice may have achieved its goal, 542 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:28,560 but money laundering is still crucial 543 00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:31,440 to the success of any organised crime group. 544 00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:35,800 Some people believe financial institutions around the world 545 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:38,400 were kept afloat by illegal money 546 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:42,960 during the chaos of the financial crisis in 2008. 547 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:47,400 - Without the drug money, many bank would collapse. 548 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:02,240 ROSS KEMP: To uncover the link between Britain and the Mafia 549 00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:04,040 has been an epic task 550 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:07,240 that has finally brought me full circle. 551 00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:15,600 The first example I heard of possible Mafia activity in the UK 552 00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:20,440 was when I discovered that banker Roberto Calvi's body 553 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:22,880 had been found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge 554 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:25,160 in June 1982. 555 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:33,320 Professor John Dickie believed that banker Calvi 556 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:36,200 was murdered for losing the Mafia's money 557 00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:39,680 through his failing Banco Ambrosiano. 558 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:44,160 - This is where things really start to get dangerous, 559 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,720 because... - Calvi starts to lose Mafia money? 560 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:49,960 - He starts to lose Mafia money. - Very, very good reasons 561 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:51,680 for getting rid of him. - Yeah. 562 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:54,720 - So what is he doing in London? 563 00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:58,600 - It may well be that he was looking around for more money 564 00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:02,800 to try and save his banks, using his contacts in the City. 565 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:11,320 KEMP: So is the relationship between Britain and the Mafia 566 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:13,600 about money? 567 00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:16,360 REPORTER: Since 1994, all British banks 568 00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:18,760 have had to report to the police any transaction 569 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:21,480 they find suspicious, but they're not obliged 570 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:23,200 to search out dirty money. 571 00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:31,560 KEMP: In 2020, police seized £2m from a Lloyds Bank account 572 00:38:31,720 --> 00:38:34,640 that was directly traceable to the Italian Mafia. 573 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:39,040 In global financial terms, this was small change. 574 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:44,600 But in 2008, an extraordinary world event 575 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:47,960 offered a new perspective on illegal money 576 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:50,000 in the banking system. 577 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,480 REPORTER: It was the biggest bankruptcy in history, 578 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:57,320 and the tipping point into global recession. 579 00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:02,400 Stock markets tumbled, and businesses went to the wall. 580 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:06,280 - This has been an extraordinarily serious set of events. 581 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:10,200 KEMP: Sixteen years ago, the world found itself 582 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:14,000 in the midst of an unprecedented global financial collapse. 583 00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:18,520 - This was the biggest single economic crash of our lifetimes. 584 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:21,720 REPORTER: Banks' funding sources have dried up, 585 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:24,600 billions of pounds no longer accessible. 586 00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:26,360 - You have to find the money. 587 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:31,560 KEMP: With the banks running out of cash, 588 00:39:31,720 --> 00:39:34,000 they desperately needed liquidity. 589 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:37,800 REPORTER: A global financial system is developing 590 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:41,800 that benefits those who wish to hide and move dirty money. 591 00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:47,200 KEMP: Some experts believe that during the Credit Crunch, 592 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:50,560 a number of financial institutions around the world 593 00:39:50,720 --> 00:39:53,880 were propped up by using illegal funds. 594 00:39:56,480 --> 00:40:00,880 - During the financial crisis of 2008, 595 00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:04,960 drug money saved from bankruptcy 596 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:07,440 many banks around the world. 597 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:12,520 No-one say no to those money. 598 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:17,080 KEMP: And the then director of The Office Of United Nations 599 00:40:17,240 --> 00:40:21,680 Against Crime & Drugs, Antonio Costa, stated that... 600 00:40:34,720 --> 00:40:37,320 It has never been proved, or suggested, 601 00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:39,960 that any UK bank was propped up 602 00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:44,040 by illegal drug money during the Credit Crunch, 603 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:47,240 but the spectre of laundering illegal money through Britain 604 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:50,600 by organised crime groups still persists. 605 00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:55,400 - The City of London now is one of the centres 606 00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:59,760 of money laundering in the world, and everybody's aware of that. 607 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:09,400 - If you were to withdraw illegal money in the City of London, 608 00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:13,320 would the City of London carry on working functionally? 609 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:14,680 I don't think it would. 610 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:17,920 I think that if you were to identify all money coming into the City 611 00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:21,640 from illegal origin, then that might collapse. 612 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:27,680 KEMP: The success of money laundering 613 00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:31,360 in the last 25 years has grown largely because of 614 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:37,040 the digitisation of currency and financial transactions. 615 00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:40,880 - You're seeing networks of criminals operating online, 616 00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:44,000 co-operating with one another as money launderers, 617 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:48,080 as malicious code writers all focused on financial gain. 618 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:52,040 - Could banks do more to help the police 619 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:55,680 track down the money launderers? - Practices are coming to light 620 00:41:55,840 --> 00:41:57,760 that have got to be dealt with, 621 00:41:57,920 --> 00:42:00,120 cleaning up the banking system of our country. 622 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:02,120 REPORTER: ..anonymised transactions 623 00:42:02,280 --> 00:42:04,840 which can be almost impossible for the police to trace. 624 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:11,320 KEMP: And the Mafia have always been 625 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:14,440 at the forefront of criminal evolution. 626 00:42:15,880 --> 00:42:20,440 - Now they are of the age of the analogical reality 627 00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:25,400 and the digital, virtual, the idea that they can work online 628 00:42:25,560 --> 00:42:30,080 using cryptocurrencies, using the Dark Web 629 00:42:30,240 --> 00:42:32,280 to sell narcotics. 630 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:36,120 So they are always a step ahead 631 00:42:36,280 --> 00:42:39,280 compared to the authorities 632 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:41,680 and the short sight of the politicians. 633 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:52,920 - No British bank has ever been found guilty 634 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:56,280 of laundering Mafia money, but it's been speculated 635 00:42:56,440 --> 00:42:59,840 that it happens. I've travelled from London 636 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:05,200 to cities across the United States, to the mountains of Colombia, 637 00:43:05,360 --> 00:43:08,480 to the coastlines of Spain and Italy. 638 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:12,960 The one thing that's become clear is the reason the Mafia has survived 639 00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:16,320 so long is its ability 640 00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:21,160 to remain one step ahead of the authorities, to be less visible. 641 00:43:21,320 --> 00:43:24,600 Maybe that is their greatest skill. 642 00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:26,160 If they are here, 643 00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:30,480 then detecting them is getting harder and harder. 644 00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:33,000 (dramatic music) 645 00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:12,080 Subtitles by Sky Access Services 53205

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