Italian police seize 1.5 billion euro assets in Mafia case

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian police said on Saturday they had begun seizing 1.5 billion euros (£1.3 billion) worth of assets, including a golf court and resorts operated by the holiday group Valtur, as part of an investigation into the Castelvetrano mafia clan.

Police said the assets were owned by the heirs of the late Sicilian entrepreneur Carmelo Patti, who built an economic empire with the alleged support of the clan.

The assets, which also include 232 real estate properties, 25 companies and a 21-metre long boat, could all be traced back to the Castelvetrano, the police said.

(Reporting by Francesca Landini; Editing by Richard Balmforth)