Arrested nun in Italy: Suspected in connection with the powerful Mafia network, here's her role

The nun allegedly was the channel between the gang and its associates in prison, prosecutors in Brescia, northern Italy, said Thursday.

A former Councilman of Fratelli d'Italia, the party led by Prime Minister Giorgia Melon, and a former politician of Lega, a ruling coalition partner, were also arrested and more than 1.8m euros of illegal profits were seized by police at dawn, following raids on several cities in Lombardy and Venito regions, as well as in Calabria in the south.

The suspects are charged with crimes, including extortion, arms and drug trafficking, files, tax crimes, money laundering and, in the case of Lega politician, vote buying. Fratelli d'Italia politician allegedly made available to the “gang during the execution of crimes”.

nun Anna Donelli, 57, has been volunteering at the San Vittore prison in Milan since 2010 and has also worked in the prisons of Pavia and Rome. In February, it was one of the beneficiaries of the “Golden Paneton”, an annual Muslim citizen award.

Ndangheta, which originated in Calabria, is one of the richest organised crime groups in the world. It has used its huge revenue from cocaine to expand its expansion throughout Italy, the rest of Europe and beyond. Earlier this year, more than 130 people were arrested in co-ordinated raids in many European countries as part of a crackdown on the organisation. /oranews