Italian police seize 24 million painkillers sent to Daesh

The Italian police announced on Friday that their officers have intercepted 24 million tramadol painkiller tablets in Gioia Tauro Port, Anadolu has reported. The consignment is alleged to have been intended for Daesh fighters in Libya.

According to a statement on official Italian TV, the shipment originated in India. No details were given about how it was intercepted. If sold on the African market, the shipment could have netted Daesh up to €50m, with each tablet valued at €2 across the continent.

A prosecutor for the anti-mafia district directorate in Calabria suggested that there could be links between Daesh and the powerful ‘Ndrangheta organised crime group, which has its stronghold in the region.

“Everything passes through Gioia Tauro, so it comes as no surprise to find a trafficked substance of this kind there,” Gaetano Paci told La Repubblica. “We have known for some time about ties between ’Ndrangheta and organisations in the Middle East. Even if the port has become a less secure zone for the clan, thanks to the pressure from investigations, we have traced some trafficking links and are trying to join the dots.”