Police foiled a plot to steal the remains of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari and hold them for ransom, arresting 34 people in Sardinia and northern Italy on Tuesday.
The massive police raid involved hundreds of officers and stopped gang members just before they launched their plan to steal Ferrari's body, NBC News reported.
Police also seized large quantities of cocaine and weapons in the raid on a part of the Anonima Sequestri gang, which operates on the island of Sardinia, NBC reported. The legendary gangster Graziano Mesina, in prison for kidnapping since December, is known to be involved with the gang. Mesina turns 76 next week.
Ferrari died in 1998 at the age of 90 and was buried inside an ornate tomb next to his father at San Cataldo cemetery in Modena, central Italy. A model Ferrari sits on top of his tomb.
The Ferrari family was reportedly aware of the plot, which had been in the works for years, and police kept them in the loop. The gang had made several visits to the tomb to case it out before trying to implement the plan, and police were able to identify a number of gang members who were in charge of making plans, taking the body itself, and making the ransom demand on the family, NBC News said.
The gang had planned to steal the entire casket with the body inside from the above-ground tomb, according to CNN.
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