Raffaele Imperiale, nicknamed “The Godfather Van Gogh”, a former drug dealer who now wants to testify against the mafia, has handed over an artificial island he owns off the coast of Dubai to Italian authorities in the hope of showing his willingness to cooperate and receive a reduced sentence, The Guardian reports , which is quoted by news.ro

This was announced on Monday during a trial in Naples, where 20 defendants are on trial, including Raffaele Imperiale, who is called “the godfather of Van Gogh”. He is a famous international drug dealer who worked for the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia. Imperiale, who had been in hiding for five years, was arrested in Dubai in August 2021 and extradited to Italy in March 2022.

According to the investigation, Imperiale bought an island called Taiwan while in hiding. Its value is estimated at 60-80 million euros and it is part of an artificial archipelago built off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, called “The World” and shaped like a globe map.

Imperiale, who faces up to 14 years and 10 months in prison, is trying to show his willingness to cooperate with authorities in hopes of getting a reduced sentence. “It is clear that Imperiale wants to reduce the sentence,” said prosecutor Maurizio De Marco. “We are evaluating the credibility of his testimony, but there seems to be no doubt about its credibility,” the prosecutor said.

SUPER CARTEL OF DRUGS

Imperiale began his criminal career in an Amsterdam cafe selling cannabis and is believed to be the leader of a drug supercartel along with former Dutch most wanted criminal Riduan Taghi, Irishman Daniel Kinahan, a known gang leader, and Bosnian drug dealer Edin Gačanin. .

Daniel Kinahan, his father Christopher and brother Christopher Jr. are still at large despite a $5 million bounty on their heads.

Italian authorities consider the Imperiale group one of the world’s 50 largest drug cartels with a virtual monopoly on Peruvian cocaine.

WHERE DOES THE NICKNAME “GOODFATHER VAN GOGH” COME FROM?

Imperiale, who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in Dubai and spent €400,000 a month on his upkeep, was nicknamed the “Godfather of Van Gogh” because he owned two valuable paintings by the artist that were stolen.

Also, to demonstrate its willingness to cooperate, Imperiale handed over the paintings to the judicial authorities. Scheveningen Beach in a Storm (1882) and Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nünen (1884) were found and returned to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

The paintings were stolen on December 7, 2002 and went missing for more than 13 years until they were found near Naples in January 2016, according to information provided by Imperiale. They were eventually returned to the Van Gogh Museum and were put on display again in March 2017. .