The Italian mafia is ramping up investment in wind farms to launder money and benefit from EU subsidies, according to a Europol report published on Thursday.

Europe's policing agency said an analysis of the financial activities of the Italian mafia's four groupings found wind farms to be the most popular target for dirty money within the renewable energy sector, itself a criminal favourite.

"The Italian mafia is investing more and more in renewable energy, especially in wind farms, to profit from generous European grants paid for by member states which allow them to mix dirty money with legitimate economic activities," the report said.

Italian police confiscated 350 million euros worth of assets from one of Europe's largest wind farms in Crotone, southern Italy, last year after it was linked to the Calabrian N'drangheta mafia.