Italian police arrest 12 people in anti-Mafia operation

Police in southern Italy have arrested 12 people in an operation targeting members of the Mafia.

Among the arrested were entrepreneurs and suspected members of the notorious 'Ndrangheta organization from Calabria, the Italian financial police announced on Tuesday.

Eight of them were detained, while four were placed under house arrest.

Twenty-seven companies and 31 properties with a total value of €32 million ($32.71 million) were seized. Among the companies, one was based in Slovenia and one in Romania.

The entrepreneurs are said to have worked closely with the Mafia members in the construction industry and in food wholesaling, among other things.

The operation, called "Planning," was preceded by two years of investigation and involved the anti-Mafia police DIA and the financial police in the Calabria region.

The 'Ndrangheta is considered the most powerful Mafia group in Italy and makes billions with international drug trade.