A CHINESE Triad crimelord and his wife have been shot dead in a mafia-style execution in Rome.
Zhang Dayong, aged 53, who was also known as “Asheng,” was discovered dead with his partner Gong Xiaoqing, aged 38, near their residence in the Pigneto district of Rome, according to authorities.
The assailants, who were on a motorcycle, approached the couple and shot them multiple times, hitting the back of their heads, as reported by local media.
Police investigators stated that Zhang was employed by Naizhong Zhang, a Chinese-Italian underworld leader who is currently facing trial in Florence after being implicated in orchestrating illicit activities spanning Italy, France, Germany, and Spain.
Zhang had garnered a near-monopoly in distribution of goods across much of Europe through threats and violence against Chinese company owners, anti-mafia prosecutors revealed.
And Dayong was involved in managing underground gambling, loan-sharking and enforcement operations in the capital, according to prosecutors.
A police official said the killings may be linked to the so-called “Coat Hanger Wars” which has escalated in recent years.
The Wars represent a violent struggle between Chinese criminal factions originally centred in the northern city of Prato, close to Florence, for the lucrative fashion logistics market.
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