A CHINESE Triad crimelord and his wife have been shot dead in a mafia-style execution in Rome.

Zhang Dayong, 53, also known as “Asheng,” was found dead alongside his partner Gong Xiaoqing, 38, outside their home in the eastern Roman neighbourhood of Pigneto, cops said.

Investigators said Zhang worked for Naizhong Zhang – a Chinese-Italian crime boss on trial in Florence following an investigation into accusations he coordinated illegal operations across Italy, France, Germany, and Spain.

Zhang had garnered a near-monopoly in distribution of goods across much of Europe through threats and violence against Chinese company owners, anti-mafia prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Dayong was involved in managing underground gambling, loan-sharking and enforcement operations in the capital.

A police official said the killings may be linked to the so-called “Coat Hanger Wars” a violent struggle between Chinese criminal factions originally centered in the northern city of Prato, close to Florence, for the lucrative fashion logistics market.

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