Rome, May 28, (dpa/GNA) – Italian police have arrested 12 people in the southern region of Campania over charges of criminal association aimed at illegally disposing of waste and corruption, news agency ANSA reported on Tuesday.

Italian authorities unveiled a criminal ring dedicated to the illegal disposal of special waste, of industrial origin, at the public plant in the town of Tufino on the outskirts of Naples, ANSA reported.

According to the agency, authorities believe some 1,000 tons of special waste coming from Naples as well as the cities of Salerno and Benevento and the town of Avellino, all in Campania, were illegally unloaded in the public plant by private companies aided by a criminal ring.

The investigation lasted about six months, ANSA reported.

Illegal waste disposal and other environmental crimes remain a multibillion-euro business for Mafia groups in Italy.

Data released by Italian environmental organization Legambiente in March showed that more than 157,000 environmental crimes were registered between 2018 and 2022.

The southern regions of Campania (23,037), Sicily (16,579), Apulia (16,282) and Calabria (13,926) recorded the most crimes across the country. Italy’s major organized crime networks are based in those regions. GNA