Romania: The new Eldorado of garbage

Trash and piles of money. The new Eldorado of garbage, sector heavily polluted by the mafia, seems to be Romania. Behind the facade clean, represented by Romanian companies that deal with the collection and recycling of waste, the old and new owners of the business.

After Romania's accession to the EU, the country is teeming with landfills (often illegal) and incinerators. What in Italy is becoming increasingly difficult because of the control on the part of institutions, association and private citizens, here is an unprecedented simplicity. Romania does not do anything to prevent that come mixed waste incinerators. As a result the garbage, which in Italy is managed mainly by the Camorra, take the road towards the north-west of the country.

The Romanian authorities, who are familiar with the phenomenon, they do nothing to prevent it. The reason? It is very simple: the rivers of garbage they also bring rivers of dirty money to be laundered.

But in reality, the dirty money goes only to replenish the accounts of the mafia. A bad deal for a population that will have to foot the bill. An account that is not only economic in terms of taxes, but also due to health and environmental pollution caused by companies which - although operating in compliance with the rules of a country that has very few rules - have discovered here that chicken the golden eggs for so long was the Campania or Sicily.

The names are those family members who for many years has filled the pages of Italian newspapers. As in the case of Cyrus and Joshua Castellano, grandchildren Pupetta Maresca, the first woman head of the Camorra.

The system is simple. The Romanian companies, which act as screens to Italian organized crime, they get the necessary permits by municipalities to achieve landfill for municipal solid waste, or industrial, the Romanian cities. In reality this is not the case and while the Romanians waste end up in illegal dumps - can be counted in the hundreds by now - those authorized are empty and ready to receive the garbage Italian.

The trash bell - or cards - arrives at the port of Constanta in Romania, where it takes the path of landfills. But how are these ships and trucks transporting garbage to landfills from the port? From rumors it seems that the real business is one of the cards and money laundering, typical of many eco-mafias. A path and a business known to the police of the country that invite nosy to let the subject drop eco-mafia in the Balkans.

Romania is, however, over the center of an international scandal after that, following an investigation into alleged mafia activities Massimo Ciancimino, the Italian judiciary has asked Bucharest to seize all the assets attributable to the son of the former mayor of Palermo Vito Ciancimino.

The story starts when the anti-Mafia prosecutors in Palermo in spring 2011 Ciancimino heard several discussions between Max and his wife, Charlotte, during which reference was made to a reduced availability of money. Massimo Ciancimino was arrested in 2006 on charges of money laundering. The investigation led to the discovery of a hoard of 12 million Euros Swiss and Romanian track which shows just how Romania will be paid to cover the financial transactions of Ciancimino.

In Romania, contacts, according to sources in the country, would take place with political subjects and areas of intelligence. Among the companies that deal with waste recycling and whose names are matched with Massimo Ciancimino are ECOREC, Salub and ecological SA. Pileri brothers who have invested in Ploiesti Racetrack in "The Toscanino", a pub in Bucharest. They also created financial companies in Romania: General Consulting and Employment Objective Agency. In 2004 the company of Agenda 21 have absorbed 82% dell'Ecorec SA, the company that operates the landfill of Glina. In 2008, the share held by Agenda 21 was purchased by Peter Valente Raphael, owner of Balotesti Alzalea.

The turnover of enterprises that revolve around the landfill of Glina, would amount to approximately 300 million euro. In the face of this turnover, the Romanian authorities, rather than commissariare companies like ECOREC SA, they just seized seven trucks to transport garbage.

If this is the Romanian law, the various alleged or Ciancimino & Co. can rest assured that the Eldorado's trash is there waiting for them ...