Editing 'Ndrangheta (section)

== Characteristics ==

In 2007, Italian anti-organized crime agencies estimated the 'Ndrangheta's annual [[revenue]] to be approximately [[Euro|€]]35–40 billion (equivalent to [[United States dollar|US$]]35–40 billion), representing roughly 3.5% of Italy's [[GDP]].<ref name="guardian">[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/jun/08/italy.johnhooper "Move over, Cosa Nostra."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201174301/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/jun/08/italy.johnhooper |date=1 December 2016 }} ''[[The Guardian]]'', 8 June 2006.</ref><ref name="times">[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1750008.ece "Mafiosi move north to take over the shops and cafés of Milan"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012205908/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1750008.ece |date=12 October 2008 }}, ''[[The Times]]'', 5 May 2007.</ref> This revenue is primarily generated from illicit drug trafficking, but also from ostensibly legitimate businesses such as construction, restaurants, and supermarkets.<ref name="mon150807">{{in lang|fr}} [https://archive.today/20130107095300/http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3214,36-944807@51-944809,0.html "Six morts dans un règlement de comptes mafieux en Allemagne"]. ''[[Le Monde]]''. 15 August 2007.</ref> The 'Ndrangheta is considered to exert significant control over the economy and governance of Calabria. According to a [[United States diplomatic cables leak|leaked US Embassy cable]], the organization controls substantial portions of the region's territory and economy, accounting for at least three percent of Italy's GDP through activities including drug trafficking, extortion, skimming of public contracts, and usury.<ref name="time090311">[http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2057944,00.html "Italy's Brutal Export: The Mafia Goes Global"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726091837/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2057944,00.html |date=26 July 2011 }}, ''Time'', 9 March 2011.</ref>

A key distinction between the 'Ndrangheta and other mafia-type organizations, such as the Sicilian Mafia, lies in recruitment methods. The 'Ndrangheta primarily recruits members based on blood relations, fostering strong cohesion within family clans, which presents considerable challenges for law enforcement investigations. Sons of '''ndranghetisti''' are generally expected to follow in their fathers' criminal careers, undergoing a socialization process from a young age to become ''giovani d'onore'' ('boys of honour') before formally joining the ranks as ''uomini d'onore'' ('men of honour'). Compared to the Sicilian Mafia during the early 1990s, relatively few Calabrian mafiosi have become [[pentito|collaborators]] with the state; by the end of 2002, there were 157 Calabrian witnesses in the state [[witness protection program]].<ref name="mpr0204" /> Furthermore, the 'Ndrangheta has generally avoided direct, overt confrontations with the Italian state.

Prosecutions in Calabria are reportedly hampered by the tendency of Italian judges and prosecutors who achieve high exam scores to preferentially choose postings outside of Calabria. Those assigned to Calabria often seek immediate transfers.<ref name="guardian" /> Combined with a limited government presence and instances of official corruption, a climate of fear and reluctance to cooperate with law enforcement prevails among civilians in the region.

Alex Perry's 2018 book, ''The Good Mothers: The True Story of the Women Who Took on the World's Most Powerful Mafia'', asserts that over the past decade, the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta has been supplanting the Sicilian Cosa Nostra as the dominant drug trafficking organization in North America.<ref>{{cite news |date=29 July 2018 |title=Canada is on the frontline of a new war against the rise of global organized crime |publisher=theglobeandmail.com |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canada-is-on-the-frontline-of-a-new-war-against-the-rise-of-global/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505202450/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canada-is-on-the-frontline-of-a-new-war-against-the-rise-of-global/ |archive-date=5 May 2019}}</ref>