Mafia olive oil wars as mobsters sledgehammer trees in race for 'green gold'
The Mafia has its sights set on the olive oil industry and is stealing the expensive liquid from trucks as well as attacking olive trees with sledgehammers to harvest the fruits
The Mafia is trying to seize control of the global market in olive oil. Rival Godfathers are fighting for what they call "green gold" after its market price hit £13-a-litre due to reduced crops caused by widespread drought and soaring production costs.
Five masked men forced a lorry driver off the road before detaining him at gunpoint and making off with his oil worth £260,000 in Puglia, southern Italy.
In the region that produces 40% of the nation's olive oil producers are taking drastic measures to protect their olives at every stage of production.
Coldiretti, Italy's largest farmers' organisation, is urging members to use helicopter surveillance, mount GPS tracking devices on olive oil tanks and demand police escorts to move the product.
Director Pietro Piccioni said: "During the harvesting period marauders across the countryside raid the olives that have to be guarded like diamonds at night and escorted during transfers to the olive mills.
"Then the oil mills are forced to notify the police before letting trucks of extra virgin oil leave."
Sociologist and Mafia expert Leonardo Palmisano said: "Puglian Mafia organisations are hiring specialised international criminals to carry out these attacks.
"It is at such a high level that they send thieves from other parts of Europe, like they do with car robberies, and then they immediately move the stolen oil into the market for bottling and distribution.
"Olive oil can be stolen and sold for half the price. Sometimes the robberies are even commissioned by Mafia-run businesses masquerading as legitimate companies."
Criminal gangs use sledgehammers to attack olive trees.
Gang members can steal 65lb of olives-per-tree in minutes. The gangs drag nets under the trees as accomplices beat the branches to collect as many of the falling olives as possible — causing irreparable damage.
Nicola Di Noia, director-general of the Italian oil consortium Uniprol, said: "Agriculture needs greater protection.
"Where there is economic opportunity, there is criminality. Agriculture is just like anything else.
"Criminals don't have a problem smuggling children, animals or drugs,
"We shouldn’t be shocked to hear that they are going after olive oil, even though we are more accustomed to seeing assaults on armoured security vans than lorries.
"For these criminals who have no problem stealing, it doesn’t matter if it is drugs one day or parmesan cheese another day or olive oil the next."
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