Carabinieri from Taranto, backed by units in nine provinces, executed 30 preventive custody orders in a pre-dawn operation on 30 June targeting an alleged criminal network that facilitated the illegal entry of non-EU nationals by filing fraudulent labour-contract requests. The suspects are charged with aggravated conspiracy and repeated aiding of clandestine immigration. According to investigators, the group set up shell companies in agriculture and construction, then submitted ‘nulla osta’ applications for phantom workers under the yearly migration-flows decree. Once the entry visas were issued, migrants were diverted to the black economy or onward smuggling routes across the EU. Each visa reportedly cost between €6,000 and €8,000, netting organisers millions. The probe—code-named ‘Job-Gate’—originated from suspicious patterns detected in the Interior Ministry’s online portal and was escalated after labour inspectors found dozens of addresses where no actual work sites existed. Assets worth €4.2 million, including 12 vehicles and 14 bank accounts, have been seized. The case comes just hours after the government unveiled an expanded legal-migration quota, highlighting the compliance risks employers face if third-party agents falsify documents. Immigration counsel recommend that companies vet labour brokers carefully, store signed contracts of stay and conduct periodic audits to avoid vicarious liability. Trials will be held in Taranto, but prosecutors indicated that investigations into potential end-beneficiaries in other EU states are ongoing, raising the prospect of cross-border prosecutions.
Source: Rai News
