Italian mafia gangs now target ‘green gold' as olive oil value surges
The paramilitary operation in the Italian region of Puglia, best known for its Baroque treasures, slow food and breathtaking coastline, happened earlier this month and shocked the country.
But there were no priceless artworks, jewels or drugs on board the lorry – only crates of fresh olive oil worth an estimated £260,000.
This latest robbery highlights the alarming penetration of organised crime into the production of one of Italy's biggest agricultural exports.
With olive oil now fetching up to €15 (£13) a litre, mafia gangs are targeting what's known as 'green gold'.
In a region that produces 40 per cent of the nation's olive oil, producers are taking drastic measures to protect their olives at every stage of the production process.
Coldiretti, the country's largest farmers' organisation, is urging its member to use helicopter surveillance, mount GPS tracking devices on olive oil tanks and demand police escorts to move the finished product across the region.
Pietro Piccioni, the director of Coldiretti's branch in Bari, 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.'
Leonardo Palmisano, a sociologist and mafia expert, 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, and sometimes the robberies are even commissioned by mafia-run businesses masquerading as legitimate companies.'
But criminal gangs are also plundering Puglia's olive groves at source. Using sledgehammers to assault the trees, gang members can steal more than 30kg (65lb) of olives per tree in just a few minutes.
The gangs drag nets under the olive trees as accomplices beat the branches to collect as many of the falling olives as possible, often causing irreparable damage.
Coldiretti said these types of robberies had increased over the past three years but often went unreported because of the fear of violence.
Officials are calling on producers to report the incidents to police, even anonymously, so they can tackle the spread of organised crime.
Nicola Di Noia, the 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.'
Olives are grown across more than 300,000 hectares (900,000 acres) in Puglia and generate more than €1 billion (£860 million) in annual sales.
Widespread drought and rising production costs have contributed to a surge in prices, making it ripe for exploitation. Producers in northern Puglia are also facing a threat from the bacterium, Xylella, which has destroyed 21 million plants in the Salento region further south.
The Italian mafia has a history of subterfuge involving the prized oil. In 2017, it was revealed the the 'Ndrangheta were exporting fake extra virgin olive oil to the United States, simply re-labelling cheap olive pomace oil.
'Criminals don't have a problem smuggling children, animals or drugs,' said Mr Di Noia.
'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.'
Lazzaro D'Auria, who grows tomatoes, fennel, wheat and olives near Foggia, has paid a heavy price for facing down the mafia.
He has lived under 24-hour police protection since 2017 when a mafia boss put a gun to his head, demanding €200,000 a year in extortion payments.
After two years of threats and intimidation, he went to the police and has campaigned against the mafia ever since.
'It takes strength and willpower,' Mr D'Auria said.
'The police do everything they can and we are fighting the mafia together. But it is so embedded in Foggia, it is difficult to destroy it or get away from it.'
While the Sacra Corona, sometimes referred to as Italy's 'Fourth Mafia', is found in southern Puglia, local mafia groups dominate agricultural production in the northern part of the region around Foggia and collaborate with Albanian and other mafia.
Renato Nitti, a highly respected prosecutor based in Trani, said recently the power of Puglia's mafia had been underestimated compared to other criminal organisations operating elsewhere in Italy.
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