Editing 'Ndrangheta (section)

== History ==

In 1861, the prefect of [[Province of Reggio Calabria|Reggio Calabria]] noted the presence of groups referred to as ''camorristi''. This term was used at the time as a general descriptor for organized crime in the region, as the 'Ndrangheta was not yet formally identified, and the [[Camorra]] in [[Naples]] was a more established and recognized criminal organization.<ref name="relazione2008">{{in lang|it}} [http://www.camera.it/_dati/leg15/lavori/documentiparlamentari/indiceetesti/023/005/INTERO.pdf ''"Relazione annuale sulla 'Ndrangheta"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102192022/http://www.camera.it/_dati/leg15/lavori/documentiparlamentari/indiceetesti/023/005/INTERO.pdf |date=2 November 2012 }}, Italian [[Antimafia Commission]], February 2008.</ref><ref name="behan9">Behan, ''The Camorra'', pp. 9–10</ref> Police reports and local court sentences from the 1880s onward provide substantial evidence of 'Ndrangheta-type groups. During this period, they were often referred to by various names, including ''picciotteria'', ''onorata società'' (honored society), '''ndrina'', ''Famiglia Montalbano'', ''fibbia'', or simply ''camorra'' and ''mafia''.<ref name=dickie2023 /><ref name="paoli36">Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', [https://archive.org/details/mafiabrotherhood0000paol/page/36/mode/1up?q=picciotteria pp. 36-37]</ref> These clandestine societies operating in Calabria's olive and vine-rich areas were distinct from more anarchic forms of [[Brigandage in the Two Sicilies|local banditry]]. According to an 1890 court sentence in [[Reggio Calabria]], they were hierarchically organized and adhered to a code of conduct that included [[omertà]], the code of silence. An 1897 court sentence from [[Palmi, Calabria|Palmi]] referenced a written code of rules discovered in [[Seminara]]. This code emphasized [[honour]], secrecy, violence, solidarity (often based on blood relations), and mutual assistance.<ref name="gratteri23">Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di sangue'', pp. 23–28</ref>

=== Modern history ===

Until the 1960s, the 'Ndrangheta primarily confined its operations within Italy to Calabria, focusing mainly on extortion and blackmail. Their involvement in cigarette smuggling expanded their reach and facilitated contacts with the [[Sicilian Mafia]] and the Neapolitan [[Camorra]]. With the initiation of large public works projects in Calabria, skimming of public contracts became a significant revenue stream. Disagreements over the distribution of illicit gains led to the [[First 'Ndrangheta war]] (1974–77), resulting in approximately 233 fatalities.<ref name="dickie137">Dickie, ''Mafia Republic: Italy's Criminal Curse'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=Rd8ctqMyE3EC&pg=PT137 pp. 137–40] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223093130/https://books.google.com/books?id=Rd8ctqMyE3EC&pg=PT137 |date=23 December 2016 }}</ref> Factions involved in the conflict began kidnapping wealthy individuals in Northern Italy for ransom. A notable case was the 1973 [[kidnapping of John Paul Getty III]], during which his severed ear was sent to a newspaper in November. He was eventually released in December following a negotiated ransom payment of $2.2 million by his grandfather, [[J. Paul Getty]].<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,911066,00.html Catching the Kidnappers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813201121/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,911066,00.html |date=13 August 2013 }}, ''Time'', 28 January 1974</ref> It is estimated that the 'Ndrangheta was responsible for over 200 kidnappings between the 1970s and mid-1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=OCCRP |title=What is the 'Ndrangheta? |url=https://www.occrp.org/en/ndrangheta/what-is-the-ndrangheta |access-date=2022-04-01 |website=OCCRP |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Second 'Ndrangheta war]] occurred from 1985 to 1991. This six-year conflict between the [[Pasquale Condello|Condello]]-[[Antonio Imerti|Imerti]]-[[Paolo Serraino|Serraino]]-[[Diego Rosmini|Rosmini]] clans and the [[De Stefano 'ndrina|De Stefano]]-[[Giovanni Tegano|Tegano]]-[[Domenico Libri|Libri]]-Latella clans resulted in over 600 fatalities.<ref name="obs240208">[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/24/internationalcrime.italy "Godfather's arrest fuels fear of bloody conflict"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201181934/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/24/internationalcrime.italy |date=1 December 2016 }}, ''The Observer'', 24 February 2008.</ref><ref name="rep190208b">{{in lang|it}} [http://www.repubblica.it/2008/02/sezioni/cronaca/arresto-condello/condello-storia/condello-storia.html ''"Condello, leader pacato e spietato"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402072322/http://www.repubblica.it/2008/02/sezioni/cronaca/arresto-condello/condello-storia/condello-storia.html |date=2 April 2008 }}, ''[[La Repubblica]]'', 19 February 2008.</ref> The [[Sicilian Mafia]] is believed to have played a role in mediating the end of this conflict, possibly suggesting the establishment of a superordinate body, [[La Provincia]], to prevent future internal disputes.

[[Francesco Fortugno]], Deputy President of the regional parliament of Calabria, was assassinated by the 'Ndrangheta on 16 October 2005 in [[Locri]]. This event prompted public demonstrations against the organization, with young protesters displaying banners reading "[[Ammazzateci tutti]]!" (Italian for "Kill us all").<ref>{{in lang|de}} [http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/reportage-im-schattenreich-der-krake-1.916280 ''"Im Schattenreich der Krake"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706034230/http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/reportage-im-schattenreich-der-krake-1.916280 |date=6 July 2013 }}, ''[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]'', 19 May 2010.</ref> In response, the Italian national government initiated a large-scale law enforcement operation in Calabria, leading to the arrest of numerous 'ndranghetisti, including those responsible for Fortugno's murder.<ref name="times" />

In June 2014, [[Pope Francis]] publicly condemned the 'Ndrangheta for their "adoration of evil and contempt of the common good." He stated that the Church would actively combat organized crime and asserted that mafiosi were [[excommunicated]]. A Vatican spokesperson clarified that the Pope's statement did not constitute a formal excommunication under [[canon law]], as such a measure requires a formal legal process.<ref name="Reuters-2014-06-21">{{cite news |last=Pullella |first=Philip |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-pope-mafia-idUKKBN0EW0FN20140621 |title= Pope lambasts mobsters, says mafiosi 'are excommunicated' |agency=Reuters|date=21 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623010914/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/21/us-pope-mafia-idUKKBN0EW0FN20140621 |archive-date=23 June 2014 |access-date=23 June 2014 |quote=Those who in their lives follow this path of evil, as mafiosi do, are not in communion with God. They are excommunicated," he said in impromptu comments at a Mass}}</ref>