Overview

• Zhang Dayong, 53, and his partner Gong Xiaoqing, 38, were shot dead outside their Rome apartment in a professional hit involving six shots to the head and chest.
• Police link the killings to the 'Coat Hanger Wars,' a violent turf battle among Chinese mafia factions over control of the multi-billion-euro counterfeit goods market.
• Zhang Dayong was a key figure in Rome's Chinese underworld, managing gambling, loan-sharking, and enforcement operations under Zhang Naizhong, who is on trial in Florence.
• The conflict underscores the deepening collaboration between Chinese criminal networks and traditional Italian mafias, complicating law enforcement efforts.
• Prosecutors face challenges in penetrating these networks due to community silence, language barriers, and limited witness protection for non-Italian nationals.