ROME, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Police on Saturday seized U.S. government securities worth 1.5 billion U.S. dollars and deposit certificates amounting to about 1000 tons of gold in central Italy, local media reported.
The "Million Dollar" operation was triggered by the suspicion that the seized assets were "of doubtful origin" and may be forged, Rome's tax police said.
During the operation in the Italian capital and its surrounding areas, a 70-year-old man was reportedly arrested for allegedly introducing into Italy the securities and certificates.
The man, a persistent offender already detained in the past for extortion, drug smuggling and money laundering, was found in his car with a bag containing the securities and certificates, according to Corriere della Sera newspaper.
The seized assets were probably destined to loan guarantees or "opaque international financial transactions," investigators said.
4/22/2012
Italian police seize 1.5 billion USD securities from unidentified man
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment