Ecomafia

Ecomafia is an Italian neologism for criminal activities related to organized crime which cause damage to the environment. The term was coined by the Italian environmentalist organization Legambiente in 1994, and has since seen widespread use. As of 2012, an estimated 30% of Italy's waste is disposed of illegally by organized crime syndicates. The United Nations Environment Programme estimated that criminal organizations earned approximately $20-30 billion USD from environmental crimes.

Activities

The primary activities involved in which the ecomafia is involved are the illegal trafficking and disposal of waste, illegal construction, and the trafficking of exotic animals and stolen art.

Impact

The unsafe disposal of waste in lakes and grazing land around the Caserta region of Italy have contributed to rising levels of toxins in the dairy and agricultural produce of the region, which forced Italian authorities to declare certain regions off-limits for grazing.

Police operations

In 2015, environmental police discovered a dump containing industrial waste, medical waste, asbestos, and building materials behind a house in Casa di Principe connected to the Camorra organized crime syndicate. The region of Caserta, where the dump was found, has been associated with the ecomafia since the 1980s when illegal dumping began. The region became known as the "Land of Fires" because of the common criminal practice of burning toxic waste to dispose of it.