OPERATION CLEAN SLATE

The illegal drug trade is becoming increasingly lucrative, with profit margins on the European market now higher than in the USA. Operation White Coat documents the threat and growing influence of organised crime in Europe. The container port of Gioia Tauro in southern Italy is one of the biggest drug trafficking centres in Europe. Only a fraction of the cocaine that arrives there is exposed. The remaining goods make Calabria's 'Ndrangheta the most powerful crime syndicate in Europe. According to estimates, the organisation records an annual turnover of over € 50 billion. But how do 'Ndrangheta bosses manage to legalise, launder and then invest their wealth? This film follows the trail from southern Italy to the rest of Europe. Legislative measures to prevent money laundering in these countries is often insufficient and ineffective. Unlike in Italy, for example, the property of criminals can only be seized if the original crime can be proven, something that is virtually impossible if the crime was committed abroad and there is a lack of evidence.