A Catholic nun from the Sisters of Mercy Institute in Milan was among 25 people arrested early Thursday morning for a litany linked to the Mafia crimesincluding aiding and abetting extortion, drug trafficking, receiving stolen goods, usury, tax crimes and money laundering.
Sister Anna Donnelly, 57, was known among inmates as “Sister Colina” when she volunteered at several prisons in and around Brescia – a city in the northern Lombardy region – where anti-mafia police said she did more than just offer blessings and comfort.
She is accused of being a go-between, “using the very spiritual role she held” to pass messages and orders between inside bosses and foot soldiers linked to Italy’s notorious ‘Ndrangheta organized crime syndicate, based in Calabria, in of Italy south.
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“She carried orders, directives, moral and material support to associates, in turn receiving useful information from inmates to better plan criminal strategies,” prosecutor Francesco Prete said during a news conference announcing the arrests.
A total of €1,800,000 (A$2,961,522) in cash was seized in the operation, which was carried out by 300 anti-mafia officers and special police dogs used to sniff out drugs and money at several locations, in which a total of 25 people were arrested.
Weapons and drugs were also recovered from locations in Bergamo, Verona and Treviso.
A member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, who is a doctor, was also arrested for treating injuries suffered by mobsters during mob-related crimes to avoid suspicion in the public health system, according to the prosecutor.
Officially, Donnelly worked as a liaison between prison officials and inmates, in addition to acting as a soccer referee during the inmates’ free time, according to an interview she gave to the religious news network TV2000 in 2020. for her work.
CNN reached out to the Sisters of Mercy Institute in Milan, but did not hear back.
Prete said Donnelly, who is currently under house arrest, is “available to the criminal organization to ensure liaison with associates in and out of prison.”
