TEMPO.CO, Rome - Italian Police have arrested a total of 28 people as part of a drug investigation involving Federica Gagliardi, a woman who shortly served as an aide to former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. Police detained various drug smugglers across central and southern Italy, including a policeman on duty and some cleaning staff at Rome's Fiumicino International Airport.
Police also seized assets worth around 4 million Euros during the operation. ANSA news agency reported that the central figure of the investigation was a fugitive known to police, Pasquale Fiorente. The man was in charge of collecting the money from criminal organizations in Italy and buying the drugs in South American countries.
The network of collaborators in the criminal ring included Federica Gagliardi, who had been nicknamed by the local press as the "white lady". She was once seen dressed all in white as she traveled to the G8 summit in Toronto in June 2010 former Italian prime minister Berlusconi and his delegation.
