Despite intense police attention and frequent arrests, the ‘Ndrangheta – which derives its name from the Greek word for ‘heroism’ – has continued to extend its reach. Notoriously ruthless, the ‘Ndrangheta has surpassed Sicily’s Cosa Nostra and the Naples-based Camorra to operate on all continents thanks to the wealth it has amassed as the principal … Read more
In December 2019 an operation targeted the ‘Ndrangheta families based in the southern Italian city of Locri in the Calabria region – the rural, mountainous and under-developed ‘toe’ of Italy’s boot and the heartland of the worldwide crime group. As a result of the swoop, Italian police arrested 334 people, including a police colonel and a … Read more
Listening to the recording of a wire-tapped phone call, Nicola Gratteri shuddered at the words: ‘He’s a dead man walking.’ Italy’s most formidable mafia prosecutor was listening to the voice of a mobster he had been monitoring during a sweeping investigation into the nation’s most feared organised crime syndicate. Gratteri, who had begun the probe … Read more
Italy’s largest mafia trial in more than 30 years opened today, as prosecutors seek to strike a blow against the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate, whose tentacles reach worldwide. More than 350 alleged members of the mafia and the politicians, lawyers, businessmen, civil servants and police accused of enabling them face a judge in a specially converted courtroom in … Read more
Hundreds of suspected members of Italy’s most powerful mafia group will face a judge this week, with a dedicated converted courtroom being used for the country’s biggest ‘maxi-trial’ of the last three decades. The trial against the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate and its accomplices – which includes politicians, civil servants, police and businessmen – is expected … Read more