Italian police have discovered a shipwreck containing 180 barrels of toxic waste in the Tyrrhenian Sea, on the country's southern coast.

The 110-metre ship was discovered at a depth of about 500 meters and around 28 kilometres from the coast of the province of Calabria, which is home to the 'Ndrangheta, one of Italy's most feared crime organisations. The Italian authorities believe there are more than 30 such vessels in the sea off the southern coast.

A former 'Ndrangheta member, Francisco Fonti, gave the location of the ship and told authorities that he used explosives to sink three ships containing toxic waste.
 

Italy tightened up its environmental regulations in the 1980s, which made the illegal dumping of toxic waste into a booming business for crime organisations.