When Zhang Dayong lay in a pool of blood on a pavement in Rome after being shot six times, few suspected a link to Italy’s storied textile hub of Prato.
But a “hanger war” is raging in the city near Florence – turning Europe’s largest apparel manufacturing centre and a pillar of Made in Italy production into a battleground for warring Chinese mafia groups.
The situation has become so urgent that Prato’s prosecutor, Luca Tescaroli, has appealed to Rome for help, calling for an anti-mafia division and reinforcements for judges and police.
Tescaroli has warned that the escalation in crime has become a huge business operation and moved beyond Italy, particularly to France and Spain.
Advertising signs for fast-fashion outlet factories in the industrial district of Prato, central Italy. Photo: AFP
The gangs are battling to control the production of hundreds of millions of clothes hangers each year – the market is estimated to be worth €100 million (US$115 million) – and the bigger prize of transporting apparel.
The Chinese mafia also “promotes the illegal immigration of workers of various nationalities” for Prato, Tescaroli said.