The notorious crime syndicate of Calabria, the ‘Ndrangheta, sentenced HUNDREDS of its top-ranking men to prison today in the most significant trial in Italian Mafia history. The trial was a crucial blow to the organization, as it imprisoned vital members of the Mancuso crime family, who had strong international ties. But why is this so important? Not only did the ‘Ndrangheta have influence over local politics, government, and even former members of Italy’s Parliament, but the organization had active roles in money laundering, murder, and the most control of Europe’s cocaine trade, extending internationally. To make things even more intense, the trial revealed that law enforcement officials, a former regional councilor, and a member of the Democratic Party’s national assembly received sentences alongside the men of the organization.
The ‘Ndrangheta has been around since the 18th century and has been dominating the world of organized crime in Italy for a while now. Not as well known as other organizations like the Cosa Nostra or the Camorra, the organization was found to be the leading factor in the cocaine trade globally, as I mentioned before. This was all discovered and made apparent in court today because of the younger relatives of the families working with the prosecutors, betraying the most important rule of not going against your family! This obviously, shook the court and the people keeping track of this case and sent a powerful message against the organization. The mobsters were put away today, but despite this crackdown signaling the government vigilance, experts are saying that this isn’t the end of the deeply rooted organization, and they won’t be done just because some got arrested.
Resources:
Hundreds Sentenced in Trial That Sought to Break Mafia’s Grip on Souther Italy… The New York Times
