Proceeds from Extortions: the Case of Italian Organised Crime Groups

This paper provides an estimate of the monetary proceeds from extortion racket accruing to the Italian mafias using two unique data sets: one recording periodic and one-time episodes of extortion from judicial and investigative sources, and another one consisting of a victimisation survey of Italian businesses. The estimate of the revenues at a national level lies between 2760 and 7740 mln euros. The regions with a strong presence of traditional organised crime groups remain the most exposed and provide about 65% of all extorted monetary flows, although some important regions in North Italy show a significant presence of extortion rackets in non-traditional areas. Finally, the most exacted economic activities are wholesale and retail trade that, along with construction, overall account up to 70% of all revenues in the lower-bound scenario.