Major mafia raids were conducted this morning in a joint operation between the FBI and Italian Police targeting the Gambino crime family of the New York mafia and the Calabrian Mafia or Ndrangheta in Italy. The two notorious organized crime families were involved in a drug trafficking operation that operated a new drug smuggling route from Latin America into Europe. Feds raided targets in the United States, Italy, and even Canada in an effort to break up the link between the U.S. Sicilian based mafia and the Ndrangheta. More then thirty suspects from the American mafia and the Italian mafia were being targeted. The operation being called “New Bridge” in Italy included up to 20 locations in and around Goia Tauro one of Europe’s biggest shipping ports.

“U.S. and Italian authorities hold joint press conference to announce operation and arrests“

FBI has confirmed that seven suspects connected to the Gambino family and Bonanno family of New York mafia were arrested and are set to appear in federal court at some point on Tuesday. Included in the raids in New York was Franco Lupoi an alleged associate of the Gambino family. It Italy arrested included the alleged boss of the Ursino clan of the Ndrangheta Fransesco Ursino along with Giovanni Morabito who is the nephew of convicted mob boss Giuseppe know as ‘u’ tiradrittu‘.

According to reports the operation began with FBI infiltration of the Gambino family back in 2012 using an undercover agent who also gained trust of some of the Ndrangetha members. The operation code name “New Bridge” may seem familiar to some because of an operation by the FBI in 2008 called “Old Bridge” that also targeted the Gambino family and its links to the Sicilian mafia in Italy. Both the Gambino and Bonanno family have long established ties to the Sicilian Mafia in Italy and recently the Ndrangheta.

Also taken into custody by the feds in the U.S. were Alexander Chan, a middle man between South American Cartel and Lupoi; Dominique Ali , connected to the Gambino family and Lupoi; Charles Centaro, an alleged Bonanno family associate;Raffaele Valente, aka ‘Lello’ of the ‘Ndrangheta syndicate;Charles Fasarakis,an Alma Bank of New York official. Frank Lupoi is noted as being the direct contact between the Gambino family and the Ursino clan in Italy.