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REPORTER: Hundreds of
alleged members
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of Italy's most powerful
Mafia group, The 'Ndrangheta,
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are being prosecuted.
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REPORTER 2: There is a reason
why this is called a maxi-trial.
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ROSS KEMP: In 2021,
sentencing began
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In one of the biggest Mafia trials
in history.
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REPORTER 3: In all,
207 gang members were sentenced
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to a total of 2,200 years
behind bars.
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The trial,
which has lasted for three years,
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heard evidence of murder,
corruption, extortion,
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and money laundering.
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- (speaking Italian)
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KEMP: The accused were from
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the most notorious branch
of the Mafia,
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the 'Ndrangheta.
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- 'Ndrangheta is very, very strong.
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'Ndrangheta international,
very, very strong.
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- They know how to make money,
and they have money.
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Silence is their power.
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REPORTER:
Even with mass convictions,
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many question how much
the 'Ndrangheta's influence
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will diminish. The Mafia
can do business from behind bars.
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KEMP: Before the trial,
the main prosecutor was quoted
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as saying that: "The 'Ndrangheta's
interests in the UK
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have figured prominently,
as clans have used the country
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as an investment
and money-laundering base."
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If that proved to be the case,
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it could change what we know
about the Mafia and Britain.
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(sombre music)
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The Mafia, historically,
is a hierarchical,
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structured organised crime group
from southern Italy.
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But what exactly
is its relationship with Britain?
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I've travelled around the world
to try and find out.
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- I took him apart in there,
wound up on that kerb right there.
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KEMP: From the glitz and glamour
of London's casinos in the 1960s,
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which attracted the American Mob...
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- Carlo Gambino.
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- You met John Gotti?
- Yes.
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- Big members of The Five Families.
- Big.
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KEMP: .. to the Colombian
drug-trafficking operation
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in the '80s and '90s,
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which fuelled a cocaine epidemic
across Europe and the UK.
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- 300, 400, 500 kilos
in one airplane.
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KEMP: My journey took me to Italy,
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to discover more about
a powerful wing of the Mafia,
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the 'Ndrangheta...
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..which in recent years has risen
to become
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one of
the most influential Mafia groups.
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Just how rich and powerful are they?
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- The illegal business,
we can only guess.
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It's about 50 billion euros.
It could be twice as much.
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KEMP: And a former member
has revealed
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what he believes is
their connection to Britain.
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To truly understand the extent
of the 'Ndrangheta's operation,
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I'm heading to their heartland
in southern Italy.
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I'm just about to enter Calabria,
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one of the poorest regions
in Europe.
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Historically, its mountains
were home to bandits and kidnappers,
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the ancestral home
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of one of the world's most powerful
organised crime groups.
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Since the 19th century,
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the small town of Plati has been
an 'Ndrangheta stronghold.
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They have found their strength
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in their ability to rely on
traditional family loyalties,
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and a code of silence.
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While not everyone who lives there
is a member,
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Plati is still home
to many of the bosses.
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Wow! It's not a bad view
to have from your office.
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- Sí.
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KEMP: Maresciallo Di Gioia
is head of the police station
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in Plati.
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This must be one of the most
sensitive police stations
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in the whole of Italy.
- Sí.
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- So they'll know that we're here?
- Sure.
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- Really?
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They know everything.
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It's unnerving,
though not surprising,
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to know that the 'Ndrangheta
are watching us.
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Traditionally, they have specialised
in numerous criminal enterprises,
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including kidnapping,
drug-trafficking
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and money laundering.
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So this house, right?
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The marshal is taking me
to the former safehouse
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of one of
the 'Ndrangheta's top bosses.
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Can we go in?
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(dog barks)
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A few years ago,
the police raided the property.
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So there is an electronic switch
in this house
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that opens up a trapdoor?
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Can you show me the entrance?
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Just take my coat for me,
and my hat. Thank you.
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There we go.
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Oh, it is tight, isn't it? (exhales)
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Here we go. (exhales)
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Oh, wow.
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Yeah, there is a bunker down here.
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So how many houses do you think
in this village have bunkers?
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There's a large room,
and off that large room
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there are separate tunnels.
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But it's a tight squeeze.
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(exhales)
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In a hurry,
it wouldn't really matter
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whether you bashed yourself,
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cos you wouldn't want to get caught
by you lot.
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Some of the 'Ndrangheta's bunkers
have boasted luxury bedrooms,
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running water, jacuzzis,
and security cameras.
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Grazie.
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And since members of the 'Ndrangheta
are nearly always connected
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by blood, very few have ever talked
or become pentiti,
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literally 'a repentant.'
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Pentiti turn against
their organised crime group
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to collaborate with the authorities.
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On one occasion, a Mafia boss
was in hiding for 14 years
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before being discovered.
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REPORTER: This video shows
the arrest of an alleged Mafia boss
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who specialised in extortion.
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(siren wails)
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- How many tunnels
do you think there are in this town?
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So effectively, this town
is like a piece of Swiss cheese:
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it's got tunnels
all the way through it.
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So you can cross town,
without being seen.
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- Sí, sí.
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KEMP: From small rural towns
in Calabria riddled with tunnels,
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the 'Ndrangheta
became a major international force.
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Today they're estimated to operate
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a large part of
Europe's cocaine trade,
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and they're thought to be worth
around $72 billion.
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But are they operating in Britain?
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In 2021, one of Italy's
largest court trials began
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here in Calabria.
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(Italian)
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REPORTER: The trial,
which has lasted for three years,
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heard evidence of murder,
corruption, extortion,
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and money laundering.
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KEMP: Before the trial,
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an Italian prosecutor
accused the 'Ndrangheta
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of funnelling money
through companies in Britain.
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- I remember a merchant banker
in the City of London
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telling me
that he loved to handle Mafia money.
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KEMP: It was
an extraordinary accusation.
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I've managed to contact
a Mafia prosecutor
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working in this region
to find out more.
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Testament to how dangerous it is
to be a prosecutor here in Calabria
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is the fact that we're not allowed
to film going into their building
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behind me. It also only has
one way in,
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and that's over a moat
that's 20 metres deep.
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ROSS KEMP: I'm investigating
Britain's links to the Mafia.
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I'm now in Calabria
in the south of Italy,
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the ancestral home
of the 'Ndrangheta,
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a powerful and dominant branch
of the Mafia.
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Prosecutor.
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Giuseppe Lombardo
is the state prosecutor here,
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and he and his team have been
investigating the 'Ndrangheta
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for the last 26 years.
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When your life is at risk every day,
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why do you come to work?
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Why do you do what you do?
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How far
do you think their power stretches?
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That's more money
than major corporations can make.
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Where does that cash go?
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How do you legitimise
that amount of money?
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London? London?
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London?
- London.
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- Why particularly London?
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What's attractive
about the City of London?
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If that's true, just how aware
were the British authorities
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of this alleged criminal connection,
and what are they doing about it?
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I've discovered
that over 30 years ago,
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at the behest
of the Italian government,
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Scotland Yard sent a detective
to Rome
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to investigate the UK's relationship
with the Mafia.
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So I'm heading to meet him.
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Gus.
- Oh, hi.
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- Good to meet you.
- Really pleased meet you too.
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KEMP: Gus Jones
was a detective
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working in the Organised Crime
division in London
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when he received a new posting.
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Gus, when did you come to Italy?
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- First came here late 1990.
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- Specifically looking at the Mafia,
yeah?
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- Yeah. Our knowledge
of Italian organised crime
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and Italian enforcement agencies
was pretty minimal in the UK.
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- Right.
- I think I met Judge Falcone,
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it'd be the spring of early 1990.
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KEMP: In the 1980s and early '90s,
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the leading anti-Mafia prosecutor
was Giovanni Falcone.
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REPORTER: Falcone and Borsellino
did more to damage the Mafia
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than anyone since the War.
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KEMP: Now I'm hearing
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that he and fellow prosecutor
Paolo Borsellino
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were on the trail of Mafia money
in the UK.
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- We organised the contacts for him,
in the Channel Islands and Guernsey
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in particular.
- Tax havens.
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- Tax havens, yeah.
No-one could put a figure on it,
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but you're talking multi-millions,
not billions of... it was lira then,
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of course, coming through London
and going to various sources.
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- So Falcone was aware
that there was a connection
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between Mafia money
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made from drugs in Italy...
- Correct.
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.. and laundering in the UK?
- Exactly.
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KEMP: Falcone had become a thorn
in the Sicilian Mafia's side.
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- I saw him in a meeting
here in Rome.
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I went to speak to him, and he said:
"The message is going out:
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I'm becoming too effective,
causing too much trouble,
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and my time is up."
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- He said that?
- Yes.
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KEMP: Just two weeks later,
Falcone was assassinated.
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REPORTER: The Falcone bomb
was a ruthless demonstration
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of the Mafia's military might.
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KEMP: Not long
before Falcone's death,
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Gus had been collaborating
with his Italian counterparts
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on a confidential report.
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He submitted his findings to London.
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- We prepared a thing called
the Rome Report, which is entitled:
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‘The Mafia and why it matters
to us.'
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One of the main conclusions
in our report
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is in the field of money laundering,
that the Italians believed that we,
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the United Kingdom,
have the most cause for concern,
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and the monies being generated
had been passing through London,
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offshore, and into property
and businesses.
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We were trying to make people aware
as to the dangers
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we'd suffer as a result of Italian
organised crime's activities.
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KEMP: Gus' Rome Report
documented evidence
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of alleged dirty money
from the Mafia infiltrating Britain.
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So how far did it go?
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- It went to the Foreign Secretary,
the Home Secretary.
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- And did we take it seriously?
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- Very few people did.
If you spoke to anyone then,
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and probably now, and mentioned it,
what the situation is,
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they'd say, "No idea
what you're talking about."
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KEMP: Gus believes his copy
of this report
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is one of the few that remain.
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- It's still very relevant.
It's far worse.
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- Basically, that report you wrote
30 years ago
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is even more relevant now.
- Correct.
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- But people remain ignorant of it?
- Exactly.
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We're still in denial.
We were in denial then.
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It worked with some, but not many.
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KEMP: According to Gus, the report
may not have been taken seriously
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00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,080
by the British government
of the day,
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but when it was leaked
to a newspaper,
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the Mafia took it very seriously.
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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
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