Editing 'Ndrangheta

{{Short description|Criminal organization in Italy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
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{{Infobox Criminal organization
| name = 'Ndrangheta
| image = 
| caption = 
| founding location = [[Calabria]], [[Italy]]
| years active = Since the 19th century
| territory = Territories with established coordination structures with significant operational territorial control are in [[Calabria]], [[Northern Italy]] and [[Lazio]]. Organisational coordination structures also exist in [[#Australia|Australia]] and [[#Canada|Canada]]. The 'Ndrangheta also operates in [[#Outside Italy|other countries]] with varying degrees of presence.
| ethnic makeup = [[Calabria]]ns
| membership est = {{ubli|6,000–10,000 [[Made man|made members]]<ref name=upppava>{{cite web|url= http://www.affaritaliani.it/cronache/pi-fatturato-di-mcdonald-s-il-giro-d-affari-della-ndrangheta260314.|title=FBI Italian/Mafia |publisher=FBI |access-date=26 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524172413/http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/organizedcrime/italian_mafia |archive-date=24 May 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/jun/08/italy.johnhooper | title=Move over, Cosa Nostra | newspaper=The Guardian | date=7 June 2006 | last1=Hooper | first1=John }}</ref> |60,000 affiliates<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/2017/11/22/mapping-the-mafia-italys-network-of-criminal-gangs-explained|title=Mapping the mafia: Italy's web of criminal gangs explained|date=22 November 2017|website=Euronews|accessdate=6 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/26/ndrangheta-mafia-mcdonalds-deutsche-bank-study|title='Ndrangheta mafia 'made more last year than McDonald's and Deutsche Bank'|date=26 March 2014|accessdate=6 August 2023|newspaper=The Guardian |agency=Agence France-Presse }}</ref>}}
| criminal activities = [[Racketeering]], drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, [[Loan sharking|loan-sharking]], [[Money laundering]], fraud, extortion, murder, robbery and kidnapping
}}

The ''' 'Ndrangheta''' ({{IPAc-en|ən|d|r|æ|ŋ|ˈ|ɡ|ɛ|t|ə}},<ref>{{Cite web |title='Ndrangheta Definition & Meaning |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ndrangheta |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003015858/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ndrangheta |archive-date=3 October 2022 |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=Dictionary.com |language=en}}</ref> {{IPA|it|nˈdraŋɡeta|lang}}, {{IPA|scn-IT-78|(ɳ)ˈɖɽaɲɟɪta|lang}}){{efn|The initial {{IPAslink|n}} is silent in [[Central-Southern Calabrian|Calabrian]] unless immediately preceded by a vowel.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}}} is a [[mafia]]-type [[organized crime|criminal syndicate]] originating from the [[Calabria]] region of [[Italy]].<ref name="codice">{{in lang|it}} [https://www.senato.it/service/PDF/PDFServer/DF/219556.pdf "Modifiche agli articoli 416-bis e 416-ter del codice penale in materia di associazioni di tipo mafioso e di scambio elettorale politico-mafioso"], Italian Senate, 20 May 2010</ref> Emerging in the 19th century, it has developed into one of the world's most powerful and pervasive organized crime entities.<ref name="Italian Organised Crime">[https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/italian_organised_crime_threat_assessment_0.pdf "Italian Organised Crime: Threat Assessment"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722033025/https://www.europol.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/italian_organised_crime_threat_assessment_0.pdf |date=22 July 2016}}. The Hague: Europol. June 2013.</ref> Characterized by a decentralized, horizontal structure composed of autonomous operating units known as ''[['Ndrina|'ndrine]]'', the organization's foundational structure is based on family and blood relationships. Beginning in the mid-20th century, coinciding with significant [[Calabrian diaspora|emigration]] from Calabria, 'Ndrangheta clans expanded their operations across Europe, [[Australia]], and the [[Americas]]. The syndicate is reportedly involved in a wide array of illegal activities, including [[drug trafficking]], [[arms trafficking]], [[money laundering]], [[racketeering]], [[extortion]], and [[loan sharking]].

The 'Ndrangheta is believed to exert influence over local and national politics in Italy and is understood to have infiltrated various sectors of the legal economy both within Italy and internationally. Estimates in 2013 suggested the organization's revenue reached €53 billion.<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 March 2014|title='Ndrangheta mafia 'made more last year than McDonald's and Deutsche Bank'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/26/ndrangheta-mafia-mcdonalds-deutsche-bank-study|access-date=14 September 2020|website=The Guardian}}</ref> A U.S. diplomatic cable from 2010 purportedly estimated that the 'Ndrangheta's illicit activities, encompassing drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering, accounted for approximately three percent of [[Economy of Italy|Italy's GDP]].<ref name=ind150111>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2011-01-15/news/us-saw-mafia-ridden-calabria-as-failed-state-286231/|website=The Independent|date=15 January 2011|title=US saw mafia ridden Calabria as 'failed state'|access-date=2 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103005202/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2011-01-15/news/us-saw-mafia-ridden-calabria-as-failed-state-286231/|archive-date=3 January 2019|url-status=dead}} The article quotes a confidential cable, [https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08NAPLES96_a.html "Can Calabria Be Saved?"], by J. Patrick Truhn, Consul General in Naples, 2 December 2008</ref> While its origins are contemporary with the Sicilian [[Cosa Nostra]], formal legal designation of the 'Ndrangheta as a [[Mafia]]-type organization under Article 416 bis of the Italian penal code occurred in 2010.<ref name="codice" /><ref name=con040216>{{cite web | url =https://theconversation.com/meet-the-ndrangheta-and-why-its-time-to-bust-some-myths-about-the-calabrian-mafia-54075 | title =Meet the 'Ndrangheta – and why it's time to bust some myths about the Calabrian mafia | last =Sergi | first =Anna | date = 4 February 2016 | work=The Conversation | access-date =3 December 2023}}</ref> The [[Supreme Court of Cassation (Italy)|Italian Supreme Court of Cassation]] had reached a similar conclusion in March of the same year.<ref name="mafiatype">{{cite web|url=https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2016/06/18/news/la_ndrangheta_esiste_lo_dice_la_cassazione-142284708/|title=Sentenza storica: 'La 'ndrangheta esiste'. Lo dice la Cassazione e non è una ovvietà|work=[[La Repubblica]]|date=18 June 2016|language=it|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018214027/https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2016/06/18/news/la_ndrangheta_esiste_lo_dice_la_cassazione-142284708/|archive-date=18 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Etymology==
In folk culture surrounding the 'Ndrangheta in [[Calabria]], references to the Spanish [[Garduña]] often appear. Aside from these references, however, there is nothing to substantiate a link between the two organizations. The [[Calabrian dialects|Calabrian]] word 'Ndrangheta derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]]<ref>{{cite book |author=Turone, Giuliano |title=Il delitto di associazione mafiosa |publisher=Giuffrè editore |year=2008 |isbn=978-88-14-13917-8 |page=97 |quote=Il vocabolo deriva infatti dal greco antico ανδραγαθία e significa valore, prodezza, carattere del galantuomo.}}[https://books.google.com/books?id=OrS8in3ETtAC&pg=PA87&dq='ndranghet+deriva+greco+antico&hl=it&ei=CGNATs_lApDzsgaR05WFCQ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511122004/https://books.google.com/books?id=OrS8in3ETtAC&pg=PA87&dq=%27ndranghet+deriva+greco+antico&hl=it&ei=CGNATs_lApDzsgaR05WFCQ|date=11 May 2016}}</ref> word ἀνδραγαθία ''andragathía'' meaning "gallantry" or "manly virtue"<ref>{{LSJ|a)ndragaqi/a|ἀνδραγαθία|ref}}</ref> or ἀνδράγαθος ''andrágathos'', a compound of the words ἀνήρ, ''anḗr'' ([[Genitive|gen.]] ἀνδρóς, ''andrós''), i.e. man,<ref>{{LSJ|a)nh/r|ἀνήρ|ref}}</ref> and ἀγαθός, ''agathós'', i.e. good, brave,<ref>{{LSJ|a)gaqo/s|ἀγαθός|ref}}</ref> meaning a courageous man.<ref>[[headword|lemma]] ''{{lang|el|ανδραγαθία}}''; {{cite book|title=Dictionary of Modern Greek|first=Georgios|last=Babiniotis|author-link=Georgios Babiniotis|publisher=Lexicology Centre|location=Athens|title-link=Babiniotis dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Andreia: Studies in manliness and courage in classical antiquity|editor1-first=Ralph M.|editor1-last=Rosen|editor2-first=Ineke|editor2-last=Sluiter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ko1iAAAAMAAJ&q=aner+agathos+andragathia|page=55|publisher=Brill|year=2003|isbn=9789004119956}}</ref> In many areas of Calabria the verb '''ndranghitiari'', from the Greek verb ''andragathízesthai'',<ref>{{LSJ|a)ndragaqi/zomai|ἀνδραγαθίζεσθαι|ref}}</ref> means "to engage in a defiant and valiant attitude".<ref name="gratteri21">Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di sangue'', p. 21</ref>

The etymological approach is criticised by some historians. [[John Dickie (historian)|John Dickie]] argues that "the flattering connotations of the word 'Ndrangheta (courage, martial prowess, manliness) indicate that the 'Ndrangheta as a social phenomenon was rooted in the same positive values, and that it only later degenerated into criminality."<ref name=dickie2023>{{cite journal |last1=Dickie |first1=John |date=2023 |title=The name 'ndrangheta: History versus etymology |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/modern-italy/article/name-ndrangheta-history-versus-etymology/D321AC11A6F21408D8390AF71E20B8EB |journal= Modern Italy |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=215–229 |doi=10.1017/mit.2023.17 |s2cid=258543747 |access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref> A historical and sociological approach shows that 'Ndrangheta is actually the most recent of many earlier descriptions of the phenomenon of organised crime in Calabria. [[#History|Historical evidence]] suggests, according to Dickie, that the use of 'Ndrangheta as a name for the Calabrian mafia was adopted by Calabrian mafiosi themselves around the time it first appeared in the documentary sources of the Carabinieri in the late 1920s.<ref name=dickie2023 /> The word 'Ndrangheta was brought to a wider audience by the Calabrian writer [[Corrado Alvaro]] in the {{Lang|it|[[Corriere della Sera]]}} in September 1955.<ref name=dickie2023 /><ref name="tizian">{{in lang|it}} [http://www.stopndrangheta.it/file/stopndrangheta_15.pdf ''"La 'ndrangheta transnazionale: Dalla picciotteria alla santa – Analisi di un fenomeno criminale globalizzato"''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329204501/http://www.stopndrangheta.it/file/stopndrangheta_15.pdf |date=29 March 2012}} (PDF), Giovanni Tizian, March 2009.</ref><ref name=truzzolillo2011>{{cite journal |last1=Truzzolillo |first1=Fabio |date=2011 |title=The 'Ndrangheta: the current state of historical research |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/modern-italy/article/abs/ndrangheta-the-current-state-of-historical-research/BB6713082B422711F47BEC5C5FB3A4AB |journal= Modern Italy |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=363–383 |doi=10.1080/13532944.2011.554805 |s2cid=145785097 |access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref>

== Structure ==

=== Organizational structure ===

[[File:Ndrangheta code.JPG|thumb|upright=1.25|Formulas from the code of the 'Ndrangheta: The three handwritten pages describe the text for the speech held when a member is promoted to a higher rank. The text, written in uncertain Italian with grammatical and orthographic errors, appears awkward to native speakers.<ref name="mpr0204">[http://www.mpg.de/english/illustrationsDocumentation/multimedia/mpResearch/2004/heft02/2_04MPR_58_63.pdf "Crisis among the 'Men of Honor{{'"}}] (interview with Letizia Paoli). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209204538/http://www.mpg.de/english/illustrationsDocumentation/multimedia/mpResearch/2004/heft02/2_04MPR_58_63.pdf |date=9 February 2010 }}. Max Planck Research. February 2004.</ref>]]
[[File:Struttura ndrangheta.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|The 'Ndrangheta hierarchy, labeled in Italian]]
[[File:Struttura ndrangheta 2011.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Detailed 'Ndrangheta structure, labeled in Italian]]

Similar to the Sicilian [[Cosa Nostra]], the 'Ndrangheta is structured as a loose confederation of approximately one hundred groups, referred to as {{lang|it|[[cosca|cosche]]}} or families. Each group asserts authority over a specific territory, typically a town or village, although their control over the monopoly of violence in these areas is not always absolute or fully legitimized.<ref name="paoli" /> Estimates suggest that there are around 100 of these families, encompassing between 4,000 and 5,000 members within [[Reggio Calabria]].<ref name="mon150807" /><ref name="paoli32">Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', [https://archive.org/details/mafiabrotherhood0000paol/page/32/mode/1up p. 32]</ref><ref name="rel2003">{{in lang|it}} [http://www.parlamento.it/parlam/bicam/14/Antimafia/documenti/relazann2003II.pdf ''"Relazione annuale"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127141114/http://www.parlamento.it/parlam/bicam/14/Antimafia/documenti/relazann2003II.pdf |date=27 November 2009 }} (PDF), Commissione parliamentare d'inchiesta sul fenomeno della criminalità organizzata mafiosa o similare, 30 July 2003.</ref> Other estimates indicate a membership of 6,000–7,000 individuals, with a potential worldwide membership reaching approximately 10,000.<ref name="guardian" />

The majority of these groups, numbering around 86, are active in the [[Province of Reggio Calabria]]. It is also believed that a portion of the reported 70 criminal groups based in the Calabrian provinces of [[Province of Catanzaro|Catanzaro]] and [[Province of Cosenza|Cosenza]] maintain formal affiliations with the 'Ndrangheta.<ref name="varese" /> These family groups are primarily concentrated in impoverished towns and villages within [[Calabria]], including [[Platì]], [[Locri]], [[San Luca]], [[Africo]], and [[Altomonte]], as well as in [[Reggio Calabria]], the main city and provincial capital.<ref name="rep250407">{{in lang|it}} [http://www.repubblica.it/2007/01/sezioni/politica/inchiesta-citta/potere-reggioc/potere-reggioc.html ''"La pax della 'ndrangheta soffoca Reggio Calabria"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711115813/http://www.repubblica.it/2007/01/sezioni/politica/inchiesta-citta/potere-reggioc/potere-reggioc.html |date=11 July 2007 }}. ''La Repubblica''. 25 April 2007.</ref> [[San Luca]] is widely regarded as a significant stronghold of the 'Ndrangheta. According to testimony from a former 'ndranghetista, "almost all the male inhabitants belong to the 'Ndrangheta," and the [[Territorial Abbey and Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Polsi|Sanctuary of Polsi]] has historically served as a meeting place for affiliates.<ref name="paoli29">Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', [https://archive.org/details/mafiabrotherhood0000paol/page/29/mode/1up p. 29]</ref> Bosses from regions outside Calabria, including [[#Canada|Canada]] and [[#Australia|Australia]], are reported to regularly attend meetings at the Sanctuary of Polsi,<ref name="varese" /> suggesting that ''[['ndrina|'ndrine]]'' globally perceive themselves as part of a unified collective entity.<ref name="paoli32" />

The fundamental local organizational unit within the 'Ndrangheta is the ''[[Locale ('Ndrangheta)|locale]]'' (local or place), which exercises [[jurisdiction]] over a town or a specific area within a larger urban center.<ref name="nicaso1">Nicaso & Danesi, ''Made Men'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=5fEQAAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA23 p. 23] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102011850/https://books.google.com/books?id=5fEQAAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA23 |date=2 January 2016}}</ref> A ''locale'' may encompass branches known as '' [['ndrina]]'' (plural: '' 'ndrine''), which can be situated in different districts of the same city, in neighboring towns or villages, or even outside [[Calabria]]. Notably, 'ndrine have been established in cities and towns in Northern [[Italy]], particularly in the industrial regions around [[Turin]] and [[Milan]]. For instance, the presence of the 'Ndrangheta in [[Bardonecchia]], an alpine town in the [[Piedmont]] region's province of [[Turin]], has been documented since the early 1960s. In 1973, prompted by numerous newspaper articles, the [[Antimafia Commission]], for the first time in Northern Italy, conducted an inspection in [[Bardonecchia]], confirming the presence of organized crime.<ref>[http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,11/articleid,0142_01_1972_0088_0011_5198924/ Pronto il rapporto sulla mafia. Sarà consegnato in Parlamento] ''[[La Stampa]]'', April 14 1972</ref><ref>[http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,2/articleid,0149_01_1973_0107_0002_4761327/ Commissione Antimafia indagherà sugli abusi edilizi a Bardonecchia] ''[[La Stampa]]'', May 6 1973</ref><ref>[http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,5/articleid,1506_02_1973_0111_0007_21209979/ Il Consiglio comunale di Bardonecchia chiede l'allontanamento dei mafiosi] ''[[Stampa sera]]'' May 12 1973</ref><ref>[http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,8/articleid,1118_01_1973_0291_0008_16225378/ L'Antimafia in Piemonte a raccolto un materiale scottante] ''[[La Stampa]]'' December 13 1973</ref><ref>[http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,5/articleid,1499_02_1974_0078_0005_21151380/ Questi gli undici nomi dei boss di Bardonecchia] [[Stampa Sera]] April 3 1974</ref><ref>[http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,4/articleid,1112_01_1974_0071_0071_0004_21471873/ Ecco l'esplosivo dossier sulla mafia in Valle di Susa] [[La Stampa]] April 3 1974</ref> In 1995, [[Bardonecchia]] became the first municipality in Northern [[Italy]] to be dissolved due to alleged mafia infiltration, leading to the arrest of [[Rocco Lo Presti]], considered the historical 'Ndrangheta boss of [[Bardonecchia]] and the [[Susa Valley]].<ref>[http://archivio.lastampa.it/articolo?id=7df2c08bd4df55dc2e1f841d2ea6e3d150ed289a Bardonecchia comune chiuso per mafia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404012923/http://archivio.lastampa.it/articolo?id=7df2c08bd4df55dc2e1f841d2ea6e3d150ed289a |date=4 April 2015 }} [[La Stampa]] April 29 1995</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150409031754/http://archivio.lastampa.it/articolo?id=e4edb5d9760ea42a85f79e0cf27021b2e91e0433 Rocco Il padrino della Val di Susa] [[La Stampa]] January 24 2009</ref>

The towns of [[Corsico]] and [[Buccinasco]] in [[Lombardy]] are also considered to be 'Ndrangheta strongholds. Sub-units known as ''sotto 'ndrine'' are sometimes established. These subunits possess considerable autonomy, with their own leadership and staff. In some instances, '' 'ndrine'' have reportedly become more influential than the ''locale'' to which they are formally subordinate.<ref name="paoli29" /> Other perspectives suggest that the '' 'ndrina'' itself is the fundamental organizational unit. According to the [[Antimafia Commission]], each '' 'ndrina'' operates autonomously within its territory, with no formal authority above the '' 'ndrina'' boss. Typically, an '' 'ndrina'' controls a small town or a neighborhood. In cases where multiple '' 'ndrine'' operate within the same town, they may form a ''locale''.<ref name="varese" />

Within the 'Ndrangheta, membership in a crime family and blood relations are significantly intertwined. '' 'Ndrine'' predominantly consist of individuals from the same family lineage. Salvatore Boemi, an anti-mafia prosecutor in [[Reggio Calabria]], informed the Italian [[Antimafia Commission]] that membership is often acquired "for the simple fact of being born into a mafia family." While other factors may attract individuals to seek membership, and non-kin have been admitted, familial ties remain central. Marriages serve to strengthen relationships within '' 'ndrine'' and expand membership. Consequently, each group is often composed of a few core blood families, leading to situations where "a high number of people with the same last name often end up being prosecuted for membership of a given ''{{'}}ndrina''." Given the absence of membership limits within a unit, bosses may prioritize maximizing descendants to strengthen their group.<ref name="varese" />

The hierarchy within an '' 'ndrina'' includes various ranks. At the base are the ''picciotti d'onore'' (soldiers), expected to execute tasks with unquestioning obedience, until promotion to the level of ''cammorista''. ''Cammoristi'' are granted command over their own group of soldiers. Above the '' 'ndrina'' level, but still within the 'Ndrangheta structure, is the rank of ''santista'', followed by ''[[Vangelo|vangelista]]''. Aspiring ''vangelisti'' are required to swear an oath of dedication to a life of crime upon the [[Bible]]. The ''Quintino'', also referred to as ''Padrino'', represents the second-highest level of command within an 'Ndrangheta clan (''Ndrina''). This level comprises five privileged members who report directly to the boss, known as the ''[[capobastone]]'' (head of command).<ref>{{Cite web|title=The 'Ndrangheta Looms Large |url=http://americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_286.html |website=americanmafia.com |last=La Sorte |first=Mike |date=December 2004 |access-date=10 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054929/http://americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_286.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref>

During a 2018 trial in Toronto, former mobster Carmine Guido testified that the 'Ndrangheta is a collective of family-based clans, each with its own boss, operating within a unified structure and under a board of control.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Humphreys |first1=Adrian |date=29 March 2018 |title=Ex-mobster paid $2.4M to become police informant tells trial he made far more money as a crook – National Post |newspaper=National Post |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/toronto/ex-mobster-paid-2-4m-to-become-police-informant-tells-trial-he-made-far-more-money-as-a-crook}}</ref>

=== Power structure ===

Historically, individual family power structures served as the primary governing bodies within both Cosa Nostra and the 'Ndrangheta. These family structures have remained central to power dynamics, even after the establishment of superordinate bodies. While Cosa Nostra created the [[Sicilian Mafia Commission]] in the 1950s, the 'Ndrangheta established a superordinate body only in 1991, following negotiations to resolve prolonged inter-family conflicts.<ref name="paoli">{{cite web |url=http://www.organized-crime.de/revpao01mafiandrangheta.htm |title=Review of: Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'' |publisher=Organized-crime.de |access-date=19 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215127/http://www.organized-crime.de/revpao01mafiandrangheta.htm |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the notion of absolute autonomy for Calabrian crime families prior to this period is not universally supported by historical evidence. Evidence suggests that mechanisms for coordination and dispute resolution have existed since at least the late 19th century, with frequent interactions and meetings among bosses of ''locali''.<ref name="paoli59" /> Operation Crimine, a significant investigation culminating in the arrest of 305 'Ndrangheta members in July 2010, indicated a more hierarchical, unified, and pyramidal structure than previously understood. Italy's chief anti-mafia prosecutor, Pietro Grasso, described the organization as not solely clan-based.<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/From-the-news-wires/2010/0713/Ndrangheta-mafia-structure-revealed-as-Italian-police-nab-300-alleged-mobsters "'Ndrangheta mafia structure revealed as Italian police nab 300 alleged mobsters"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819131636/http://www.csmonitor.com/From-the-news-wires/2010/0713/Ndrangheta-mafia-structure-revealed-as-Italian-police-nab-300-alleged-mobsters |date=19 August 2010 }}, The Associated Press, csmonitor.com, 13 July 2010.</ref>

While the legal classification of the 'Ndrangheta as a hierarchical structure is advantageous for Italian criminal law, enabling broader convictions through the doctrine of criminal association, some criminologists dispute the view of the 'Ndrangheta as a consistently monolithic organization. Criminologist Anna Sergi suggests that while coordinating structures exist, they primarily serve to facilitate business ventures and risk sharing among distinct clans. According to this perspective, clans remain independent territorial units rooted in family ties, and do not consistently operate under a unified strategic plan.<ref name=con040216 /> Sergi argues that "'Ndrangheta" functions more as a brand than a description of a tightly integrated organization. She posits that the misconception of the 'Ndrangheta as a singular entity may inadvertently benefit these groups, allowing them to leverage the organization's international reputation to exploit political vulnerabilities, invest in new enterprises, and expand their influence.<ref name=con040216 />

Since at least the 1950s, chiefs of 'Ndrangheta ''locali'' have reportedly convened regularly near the [[Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi]] in [[San Luca]] during the September Feast. These annual gatherings, known as the ''[[crimine]]'', have traditionally provided a forum for discussing future strategies and resolving disputes among ''locali''. The assembly exercises limited supervisory authority over the activities of all 'Ndrangheta groups. Emphasis is placed on the temporary nature of the ''crimine'' boss's position, with a new representative elected at each meeting.<ref name="paoli59">Paoli. ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', [https://archive.org/details/mafiabrotherhood0000paol/page/59/mode/1up p. 59]</ref> Contrary to the "boss of bosses" concept, the ''[[capo crimine]]'' is believed to possess relatively limited power to intervene in family conflicts or regulate inter-family violence.<ref name="varese">Varese, Federico. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3757/is_200606/ai_n17176956/print "How Mafias Migrate: The Case of the 'Ndrangheta in Northern Italy"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016071412/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3757/is_200606/ai_n17176956/print |date=16 October 2015}} ''Law & Society Review''. June 2006.</ref>

During these meetings, each boss is expected to "give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc."<ref name="paoli59" /> The historical prominence of the San Luca family is such that any new group or ''locale'' is reportedly required to obtain authorization from San Luca to operate. Furthermore, each 'Ndrangheta group "still has to deposit a small percentage of illicit proceeds to the ''principale'' of San Luca in recognition of the latter's primordial supremacy".<ref name="paoli29" />

Security concerns within the 'Ndrangheta have led to the formation of a secret society within the larger organization, known as ''[[La Santa]]''. Membership in ''La Santa'' is exclusive, known only to fellow members. In a departure from traditional code, ''La Santa'' allowed bosses to cultivate close relationships with state officials, with some even becoming affiliated with ''La Santa''. These connections were often facilitated through [[Freemasonry]], which ''santisti'' were permitted to join, despite it being another breach of traditional 'Ndrangheta code.<ref name="paoli" /><ref name="paoli116">Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', [https://archive.org/details/mafiabrotherhood0000paol/page/116/mode/1up p. 116]</ref>

Since the conclusion of the Second 'Ndrangheta war in 1991, the 'Ndrangheta has been governed by a collegial body or Commission, known as ''[[La Provincia]]''. Its primary function is to mediate and resolve inter-family disputes.<ref name="paoli61">Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods'', [https://archive.org/details/mafiabrotherhood0000paol/page/61/mode/1up pp. 61–62]</ref><ref name="gratteri65">{{in lang|it}} Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', pp. 65–68</ref> This body, also referred to as the Commission in reference to the [[Sicilian Mafia Commission|Sicilian counterpart]], comprises three subordinate bodies known as ''mandamenti''. These include a ''mandamento'' for clans on the [[Ionian Sea|Ionic side]] of Calabria (including the [[Aspromonte]] mountains and [[Locride]]), a second for the [[Tyrrhenian Sea|Tyrrhenian side]] (the plains of [[Gioia Tauro]]), and a central ''mandamento'' for the city of [[Reggio Calabria]].<ref name="paoli61" />

A July 2019 article published in Canada summarized the traditional 'Ndrangheta structure.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/italian-probe-reveals-how-criminal-blockchain-gives-toronto-area-mobsters-international-authority |title=Italian probe reveals how 'criminal blockchain' gives Toronto-area mobsters international authority |date=25 July 2019 |work=National Post |access-date=21 January 2021 |last1=Humphreys |first1=Adrian }}</ref> According to this report:

<blockquote>"For decades, the 'Ndrangheta families of Siderno operating in Canada—about seven of them—have been governed by a board of directors, called the "camera di controllo", or chamber of control. The local board, as in other countries around the world and other regions of Italy where clans have spread, have all been subservient to the mother clans of Calabria, under a body known as 'il Crimine di Siderno'."</blockquote>

However, by mid-2019, law enforcement in both Italy and Canada reportedly believed that the 'Ndrangheta's presence in Canada had become so powerful that the board north of Toronto possessed the authority to make decisions not only within Canada's underworld but also internationally, potentially even superseding the authority of clans in Siderno.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/italian-probe-reveals-how-criminal-blockchain-gives-toronto-area-mobsters-international-authority |title=Italian probe reveals how 'criminal blockchain' gives Toronto-area mobsters international authority |date=25 July 2019 |work=National Post |access-date=21 January 2021 |quote=Italian court documents reveal that Canada's mobsters are 'more strategically powerful than we had thought before,' an expert on the 'Ndrangheta says|last1=Humphreys |first1=Adrian }}</ref>

== 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>

== Activities ==

According to the Italian DIA (''Direzione Investigativa Antimafia'', Department of the Police of Italy against organized crime) and [[Guardia di Finanza]] (Italian Financial Police and Customs Police), the 'Ndrangheta is considered "one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/encounters-with-the-calabrian-mafia-inside-the-world-of-the-ndrangheta-a-806233.html |title=Encounters with the Calabrian Mafia: Inside the World of the 'Ndrangheta |publisher=Spiegel.de |date=4 January 2012 |newspaper=Spiegel Online |last1=Ulrich |first1=Andreas |access-date=13 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227082611/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/encounters-with-the-calabrian-mafia-inside-the-world-of-the-ndrangheta-a-806233.html |archive-date=27 December 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.understandingitaly.com/profile-content/ndrangheta.html |title=Italian mafia 'Ndrangheta, ndrangheta, calabria, John Paul Getty III, Gioia Tauro, Colombian drug trafficking, cocaine smuggling italy, vendetta of San Luca, Strangio-Nirta, Pelle-Vottari-Romeo, Maria Strangio, Giovanni Strangio, Duisberg killings |publisher=Understandingitaly.com |access-date=13 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403104255/http://www.understandingitaly.com/profile-content/ndrangheta.html |archive-date=3 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The 'Ndrangheta's economic activities encompass international smuggling of [[cocaine]] and weapons. Italian investigators have estimated that approximately 80% of Europe's cocaine transits through the Calabrian port of [[Gioia Tauro]] and is controlled by the 'Ndrangheta.<ref name="guardian" /> However, a report by the [[European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction]] (EMCDDA) and [[Europol]] indicates that the [[Iberian peninsula]] is considered the primary entry point for cocaine into Europe and a major gateway to the European market.<ref name="emcdda">[http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_101612_EN_TDAN09002ENC.pdf ''Cocaine: a European Union perspective in the global context''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408215325/http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_101612_EN_TDAN09002ENC.pdf |date=8 April 2011 }} (PDF), EMCDDA/ Europol, Lisbon, April 2010.</ref> The [[United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime]] (UNODC) estimated that in 2007, cocaine interceptions in Spain (almost 38 metric tons) were nearly ten times greater than in Italy (almost 4 metric tons).<ref name="wdr2009">[http://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2009/WDR2009_eng_web.pdf World Drug Report 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226160952/http://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2009/WDR2009_eng_web.pdf |date=26 December 2016 }}, UNODC, 2009</ref>

'Ndrangheta and Sicilian Cosa Nostra groups are known to engage in joint ventures in cocaine trafficking operations.<ref name="roth">[http://www.tni.org/detail_page.phtml?page=archives_tblick_aruba The Rothschilds of the Mafia on Aruba] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122094839/http://www.tni.org/detail_page.phtml?page=archives_tblick_aruba |date=22 January 2009 }}, by Tom Blickman, Transnational Organized Crime, Vol. 3, No. 2, Summer 1997</ref><ref>{{in lang|it}} [http://www.aduc.it/articolo/italia+affari+cosa+nostra+ndrangheta+insieme_5701.php ''"Uno degli affari di Cosa Nostra e 'Ndrangheta insieme"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007142000/http://www.aduc.it/articolo/italia+affari+cosa+nostra+ndrangheta+insieme_5701.php |date=7 October 2011 }}, ''Notiziario Droghe'', 30 May 2005.</ref> Additional activities include skimming funds from large public works projects, [[money laundering]], and traditional criminal activities such as [[usury]] and [[extortion]]. The 'Ndrangheta reportedly invests illicit profits in legitimate [[real estate]] and [[financial]] ventures.In February 2017, Italian [[Carabinieri]] reportedly arrested 33 individuals suspected of involvement with the [[Piromalli 'ndrina]], a clan associated with the 'Ndrangheta. The arrests were linked to allegations of exporting fraudulently labeled olive oil to the United States. According to reports, inexpensive olive pomace oil was being marketed as more expensive extra virgin olive oil.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-business/italy-arrests-33-accused-olive-oil-fraud/55364|title=Italy Arrests 33 Accused of Olive Oil Fraud|date=16 February 2017|website=Olive Oil Times|access-date=19 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920045735/https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-business/italy-arrests-33-accused-olive-oil-fraud/55364|archive-date=20 September 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Earlier, in 2016, the American television program [[60 Minutes]] broadcast a segment that cautioned about the infiltration of the olive oil industry by organized crime, stating that "Agromafia" constituted a $16 billion per year enterprise.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-overtime-how-to-buy-olive-oil/|title=Don't fall victim to olive oil fraud|publisher=CBS News|date=3 January 2016 |access-date=19 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920045538/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-overtime-how-to-buy-olive-oil/|archive-date=20 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Estimates from Eurispes (Institute of Political, Economic and Social Studies), an Italian private research institute, placed the 'Ndrangheta's business volume at approximately [[Euro|€]]44 billion in 2007. This figure represented about 2.9% of Italy's [[GDP]]. Drug trafficking was identified as the most lucrative activity, accounting for 62% of the total revenue.<ref name="eurispes">{{in lang|it}} [http://www.antimafiaduemila.com/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,138/Itemid,51/ ''"Il fatturato della 'Ndrangheta Holding: 2,9% del Pil nel 2007"''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821131131/https://www.antimafiaduemila.com/component/option%2Ccom_docman/task%2Cdoc_download/gid%2C138/Itemid%2C51/ |date=21 August 2008}}, 'Ndrangheta Holding Dossier 2008, Centro Documentazione Eurispes.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Estimated Total Turnover of the 'Ndrangheta in 2007
! Illicit activity
! Income
|-
! Drug trafficking
|  [[Euro|€]]   27.240 billion
|-
! Commercial enterprise and public contracts
|  [[Euro|€]]   5.733 billion
|-
! Extortion and usury
|  [[Euro|€]]   5.017 billion
|-
! Arms trafficking
|  [[Euro|€]]   2.938 billion
|-
! Prostitution and human trafficking
|  [[Euro|€]]   2.867 billion
|-
! Total
|  [[Euro|€]] '''43.795''' billion
|}

== 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>

== Law enforcement operations in Italy ==

The 'Ndrangheta has expanded its operations into Northern Italy, primarily for drug trafficking and investment in legitimate businesses, which can be used for [[money laundering]]. In May 2007, twenty individuals identified as 'Ndrangheta members were arrested in [[Milan]].<ref name="times" /> On 30 August 2007, a large-scale police raid involving hundreds of officers targeted [[San Luca]], a town central to the [[San Luca feud]] between rival 'Ndrangheta clans. Over 30 individuals, both men and women, with alleged links to the killings of six Italian men in Germany, were apprehended.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6970067.stm "Mafia suspects arrested in Italy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217181646/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6970067.stm |date=17 December 2007 }}, BBC News, 30 August 2007.</ref>

On 4 June 2012, a multinational law enforcement operation resulted in numerous arrests across Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and Finland. This operation followed an investigation by the Milan District Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office into Swiss bank accounts and a fleet of ships allegedly used to transport cocaine to Europe from Venezuela, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic.<ref name=OCCRP20120604>{{cite news |url=http://www.reportingproject.net/occrp/index.php/en/ccwatch/cc-watch-briefs/1540-europe-dozens-arrested-in-international-cocaine-bust |title=Europe: Dozens Arrested in International Cocaine Bust |work=[[Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project|OCCRP]] |date=4 June 2012 |access-date=21 December 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608085307/http://www.reportingproject.net/occrp/index.php/en/ccwatch/cc-watch-briefs/1540-europe-dozens-arrested-in-international-cocaine-bust}}</ref>

On 9 October 2012, after a months-long central government investigation, the City Council of Reggio Calabria, led by Mayor {{ill|Demetrio Arena|it}}, was dissolved due to alleged ties to the 'Ndrangheta. Mayor Arena and all 30 city councilors were removed from office to prevent potential "mafia contagion" within the local government.<ref name="bbc091012">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19886631 ''"Italy sacks Reggio Calabria council over 'mafia ties'"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422184828/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19886631 |date=22 April 2018 }}, BBC News, 9 October 2012.</ref><ref name="rep091212">[http://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2012/10/09/news/scioglimento-44197399/ ''"Il Viminale scioglie per mafia il comune di Reggio Calabria"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013054948/http://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2012/10/09/news/scioglimento-44197399/ |date=13 October 2012 }}, ''La Repubblica'', 9 October 2012.</ref> This marked the first instance of a provincial capital's government being dismissed. Three administrators appointed by the central government governed the city for 18 months until new elections were held.<ref>[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/10/2012109205354822989.html "Italy sacks city government over mafia links"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011070337/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/10/2012109205354822989.html |date=11 October 2012 }}, ''[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]]'', 9 October 2012</ref> The action followed suspicions that unnamed councilors had ties to the 'Ndrangheta during the 10-year center-right administration of Mayor [[Giuseppe Scopelliti]].<ref name="rep230912">[http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2012/09/23/news/sprechi_e_mafia_caos_pdl_in_calabria-43080292/ ''"Sprechi e mafia, caos Pdl in Calabria"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013185143/http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2012/09/23/news/sprechi_e_mafia_caos_pdl_in_calabria-43080292/ |date=13 October 2012 }}, ''La Repubblica'', 23 September 2012.</ref>

'Ndrangheta infiltration of political offices extends beyond Calabria. On 10 October 2012, Domenico Zambetti of [[People of Freedom]] (PDL), Milan's regional government commissioner in charge of public housing, was arrested. He was accused of paying the 'Ndrangheta to secure election victories and to solicit favors and contracts, including construction tenders for [[Expo 2015|World Expo 2015]] in [[Milan]].<ref name="ft141012">[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc625766-160f-11e2-9a8c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2AUamRBZb "Mafia probe claims political victim"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018000116/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc625766-160f-11e2-9a8c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2AUamRBZb |date=18 October 2012 }}, ''Financial Times'', 14 October 2012.</ref> This vote-buying investigation highlighted the 'Ndrangheta's infiltration into the political structures of [[Lombardy]], Italy's affluent northern region. Zambetti's arrest was described as the most significant case of 'Ndrangheta infiltration uncovered in Northern Italy to date, prompting calls for the resignation of Lombardy governor [[Roberto Formigoni]].<ref name="usa101012">[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/10/10/milan-politician-mafia/1624249/ "Milan politician accused of mafia vote-buying"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227060631/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/10/10/milan-politician-mafia/1624249/ |date=27 December 2017 }}, ''USA Today'', 10 October 2012.</ref><ref name="cds101012">[http://www.corriere.it/International/english/articoli/2012/10/10/zambetti.shtml "Formigoni's Cabinet Member Arrested for Election Fraud"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013232341/http://www.corriere.it/International/english/articoli/2012/10/10/zambetti.shtml |date=13 October 2012 }}, ''[[Corriere della Sera]]'', 10 October 2012.</ref>

On 12 December 2017, 48 individuals identified as 'Ndrangheta members were arrested on charges including mafia association, extortion, criminal damage, fraudulent asset transfer, and illegal firearm possession. Of those arrested, four were placed under house arrest, and 44 were ordered to be jailed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Huge 'Ndrangheta operation, 48 arrests|url=http://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2017/12/12/huge-ndrangheta-operation-48-arrests-2_63f81103-f3fc-49cc-87f9-fa9de79c7762.html|website=ANSA |date=12 December 2017 |access-date=30 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231051710/http://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2017/12/12/huge-ndrangheta-operation-48-arrests-2_63f81103-f3fc-49cc-87f9-fa9de79c7762.html|archive-date=31 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Among those indicted were a two-time mayor of [[Taurianova|Taurianova, Calabria]] and a former cabinet member. Investigators alleged that 'Ndrangheta clans had infiltrated public works construction, real estate brokerage, the food industry, greenhouse production, and renewable energy sectors.<ref>{{cite web|title=Blitz against the 'Ndrangheta, 48 arrests and kidnappings for 25 million euros in Reggino|url=http://www.lastampa.it/2017/12/12/italia/cronache/blitz-contro-la-ndrangheta-arresti-e-sequestri-per-milioni-di-euro-nel-reggino-pLbetDGPl5AdhsPDS6pKkM/pagina.html|website=La Stampa Italy|date=12 December 2017|access-date=30 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231110250/http://www.lastampa.it/2017/12/12/italia/cronache/blitz-contro-la-ndrangheta-arresti-e-sequestri-per-milioni-di-euro-nel-reggino-pLbetDGPl5AdhsPDS6pKkM/pagina.html|archive-date=31 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 9 January 2018, law enforcement operations in Italy and Germany resulted in the arrest of 169 individuals linked to the 'Ndrangheta, specifically the ''Farao'' and ''Marincola'' clans based in Calabria. Assets valued at [[Euro|€]]50 million (£44/$59m) were seized. The indictment detailed how owners of German restaurants, ice cream parlors, hotels, and pizzerias were coerced into purchasing wine, pizza dough, pastries, and other products sourced from Southern Italy. The Farao clan, reportedly led by the imprisoned Giuseppe Farao, who allegedly relayed orders to his sons, controlled businesses including bakeries, vineyards, olive groves, funeral homes, launderettes, [[plastic recycling]] plants, and shipyards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Over 160 suspects arrested in German-Italian anti-mafia sweep|url=https://www.thelocal.it/20180109/over-160-suspects-arrested-in-german-italian-anti-mafia-sweep|website=[[The Local Italy]] |date=9 January 2018 |access-date=11 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111165150/https://www.thelocal.it/20180109/over-160-suspects-arrested-in-german-italian-anti-mafia-sweep|archive-date=11 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 'Ndrangheta also infiltrated the waste disposal operations of [[Ilva (company)|Ilva steel company]] in [[Taranto]]. Charges in these operations included mafia association, attempted murder, money laundering, extortion, and illegal weapons possession and trafficking. Italian prosecutor [[Nicola Gratteri]] characterized these arrests as the most significant action against the 'Ndrangheta in the preceding 20 years.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mafia raids: Police in Italy and Germany make 169 arrests|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42618825 |publisher=BBC News |date=9 January 2018 |access-date=10 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109235544/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42618825|archive-date=9 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Eleven suspects arrested in Germany were accused of blackmail and money laundering and were subsequently deported to Italy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eleven mafia suspects arrested in Germany to be deported to Italy|url=http://www.euronews.com/2018/01/10/eleven-mafia-suspects-arrested-in-germany-to-be-deported-to-italy|website=Euro News |date=10 January 2018 |access-date=11 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111165024/http://www.euronews.com/2018/01/10/eleven-mafia-suspects-arrested-in-germany-to-be-deported-to-italy|archive-date=11 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Alessandro Figliomeni, former mayor of [[Siderno|Siderno, Calabria]], received a 12-year prison sentence on 7 May 2018 for mafia association, allegedly being a member of the [[Commisso 'ndrina]] clan and holding a high-ranking position.<ref>{{cite web|title=Former Italian Mayor Gets 12 Years for Mafia Association|url=https://www.occrp.org/en/27-ccwatch/cc-watch-briefs/8054-former-italian-mayor-gets-12-years-for-mafia-association|website=OCCRP|access-date=9 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508182817/https://www.occrp.org/en/27-ccwatch/cc-watch-briefs/8054-former-italian-mayor-gets-12-years-for-mafia-association|archive-date=8 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 2019, over 300 individuals were arrested in Calabria on suspicion of 'Ndrangheta membership in an operation involving 2,500 police officers. Among those arrested was [[Giancarlo Pittelli]], a prominent lawyer and former member of [[Silvio Berlusconi]]'s [[Forza Italia]] party.<ref name="Tondo">{{cite news |last1=Tondo |first1=Lorenzo |title=Italian politicians and police among 300 held in mafia bust |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/19/italian-politicians-and-police-among-300-held-in-historic-mafia-bust |work=The Guardian |date=19 December 2019 |access-date=19 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219160659/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/19/italian-politicians-and-police-among-300-held-in-historic-mafia-bust |archive-date=19 December 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Nicola Gratteri]], chief prosecutor in [[Catanzaro]], described these arrests as the second largest in Italian organized crime history, surpassed only by the arrests leading to the "[[Maxi Trial]]" of Sicilian Mafia bosses in [[Palermo]] between 1986 and 1992.<ref name="Tondo" /> The trial of these more than 300 'Ndrangheta members commenced on 13 January 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/biggest-mafia-trial-in-decades-opens-in-italy-1.5264703|title=Biggest Mafia trial in decades opens in Italy|publisher=ctvnews.ca|date=13 January 2021}}</ref>

In early May 2023, a police crackdown targeting the 'Ndrangheta network resulted in the arrest of 108 individuals in Italy by [[Carabinieri]] and 30 in Germany by over 1,000 police officers. The operation, prompted by suspicions of cocaine smuggling, money laundering, and other offenses, followed four years of covert investigations and involved coordinated probes by investigators in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Major investigative efforts included gaining insights into the organization's internal operations, including their use of [[Secure telephone|crypto phones]] and services such as [[EncroChat]] and [[Shutdown of Sky ECC|Sky ECC]], which the 'Ndrangheta reportedly utilized due to movement restrictions during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dw.com/en/more-than-100-arrested-in-european-anti-mafia-raids/a-65497944 |title=More than 100 arrested in European anti-mafia raids |newspaper=[[Deutsche Welle]] |date=3 May 2023 |access-date=4 May 2023}}</ref>

Also in 2023, allegations emerged regarding links between the 'Ndrangheta and the [[Gambino crime family|Gambino family]], suggesting that the 'Ndrangheta uses [[New York City|New York]] as a training ground for new recruits.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-11-11 |title=International mafia bust shows US-Italy crime links still strong |language=en-GB |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67387249 |access-date=2023-11-11}}</ref>

In November 2023, over 200 individuals associated with the 'Ndrangheta were convicted in what was described as the largest mafia trial in three decades. Despite over 100 acquittals following the three-year trial, the convictions were considered a significant setback to the organization's activities in Europe. Almost all defendants had been initially arrested in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tondo |first=Lorenzo |date=2023-11-20 |title=More than 200 mobsters convicted in Italian mafia 'maxi trial' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/20/more-than-200-mobsters-convicted-in-italian-mafia-maxi-trial |access-date=2023-11-20 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

== Outside Italy ==
The 'Ndrangheta has established branches abroad, mainly through migration. The overlap of blood and mafia family seems to have helped the 'Ndrangheta expand beyond its traditional territory: "The familial bond has not only worked as a shield to protect secrets and enhance security, but also helped to maintain identity in the territory of origin and reproduce it in territories where the family has migrated." '' 'Ndrine'' are reported to be operating in northern Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the rest of Europe, the Americas, Australia, West Africa, and Asia.<ref name="varese" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/132-ndrangheta-mafia-members-arrested-after-investigation-belgium-italy-and-germany|title=132 'Ndrangheta mafia members arrested after investigation by Belgium Italy and Germany |date=3 May 2023|website=Europol|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/investigations/cocaine-brokers-ndrangheta-south-america|title=Cocaine Brokers: The 'Ndrangheta in South America|date=23 November 2022|website=InSight Crime|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/investigations/italian-mafia-move-upstream|date=6 February 2021|first=James|last=Bargent|title=The Italian Mafia and the Move Upstream|website=InsiSght Crime|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/massive-bust-highlights-italian-mafia-involvement-in-latam-drug-trade|date=30 June 2016|first=Mike|last=LaSusa|title=Massive Bust Shows Italian Mafia Role in LatAm Drug Trade|website=InSight Crime|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.occrp.org/en/ndrangheta/armed-and-dangerous-inside-the-ndranghetas-intercontinental-cocaine-pipeline|date=5 August 2021|title='Armed and Dangerous': Inside the 'Ndrangheta's Intercontinental Cocaine Pipeline|website=Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/colombia-to-extradite-italian-mafioso-back-to-italy-again|date=5 August 2016|first=Mimi|last=Yagoub|title=Colombia to Extradite Mafioso Back to Italy, Again|website=InSight Crime|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref> One group of 'ndranghetisti discovered outside Italy was in [[Ontario]], Canada, several decades ago. They were dubbed the [[Siderno Group]] by Canadian judges as most of its members hailed from and around [[Siderno]].<ref name="NatPost20110214">{{cite news |last=Humphries |first=Adrian |date=14 February 2011 |title=Calabrian Mafia boss earned mob's respect |url=https://nationalpost.com/posted-toronto/calabrian-mafia-boss-earned-mobs-respect |work=[[National Post]] |location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada |access-date=21 February 2019}}</ref>

Magistrates in Calabria warned a few years ago about the international scale of the 'Ndrangheta's operations. It is now believed to have surpassed the traditional axis between the Sicilian and American [[Cosa Nostra]], to become the major importer of cocaine to Europe.<ref name="gua">[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/aug/16/italy.germany1 Close family ties and bitter blood feuds] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924133648/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/aug/16/italy.germany1 |date=24 September 2016 }}, The Guardian, 16 August 2007</ref> Outside Italy the 'Ndrangheta operates in several countries, such as:

===Albania===
In a report that was leaked to a Berlin newspaper, the [[Bundesnachrichtendienst]], the German federal intelligence service, stated that the 'Ndrangheta "act in close co-operation with Albanian mafia families in moving weapons and narcotics across Europe's porous borders".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/mafia-war-blamed-for-shooting-of-six-italian-men-in-germany-461761.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101117025144/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/mafia-war-blamed-for-shooting-of-six-italian-men-in-germany-461761.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 November 2010 |location=London |work=The Independent |first1=Allan |last1=Hall |first2=Peter |last2=Popham |date=16 August 2007 |title=Mafia war blamed for shooting of six Italian men in Germany}}</ref>

===Argentina===
In November 2006, a cocaine trafficking network that operated in Argentina, Spain and Italy was dismantled. The Argentinian police said the 'Ndrangheta had roots in the country and shipped cocaine through Spain to [[Milan]] and [[Turin]].<ref name="cla081106">{{Cite web|url=https://www.clarin.com/policiales/mafia-calabresa-cae-red-traficaba-droga-argentina_0_Hk6lreXkRFl.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013044159/http://www.clarin.com/diario/2006/11/08/policiales/g-04615.htm|url-status=dead|title=Mafia calabresa: cae una red que traficaba droga desde Argentina|date=8 November 2006|archivedate=13 October 2007|website=Clarín}}</ref> In October 2022, an Italian 'Ndrangheta mafia leader, Carmine Alfonso Maiorano, who was responsible for drug and arms trafficking operations between South America and Europe was captured in [[Guernica, Buenos Aires]] after years-long of manhunt.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/italian-mafia-kingpin-captured-argentina-police-2022-11-01/ |title=Italian mafia kingpin captured in Argentina – police |agency=Reuters|date=1 November 2022 }}</ref>

===Australia===
{{Main|Honoured Society (Australia)|l1=The Honoured Society}}
Known by the name "[[Honoured Society (Australia)|The Honoured Society]]," the 'Ndrangheta controlled [[Italian-Australian]] organized crime all along the east coast of Australia since the early 20th century. 'Ndrangheta operating in Australia include the Sergi, [[Barbaro 'ndrina|Barbaro]] and Papalia clans.<ref name="Stuff.co.nz_3449655">{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/3449655/Mafia-deeply-entrenched-in-Australia |title=Mafia deeply entrenched in Australia |author=McKenna, Jo |date=15 March 2010 |publisher=Stuff|location=New Zealand |access-date=13 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024082855/http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/3449655/Mafia-deeply-entrenched-in-Australia |archive-date=24 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Similarly in Victoria the major families are named as Italiano, Arena, Muratore, Benvenuto, and Condello. In the 1960s warfare among 'Ndrangheta clans broke out over the control of the [[Queen Victoria Market|Victoria Market]] in [[Melbourne]], where an estimated $45 million worth of fruits and vegetables passed through each year. After the death of Domenico Italiano, known as Il Papa, different clans tried to gain control over the produce market. At the time it was unclear that most involved were affiliated with the 'Ndrangheta.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071230104249/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C897088%2C00.html Omerta in the Antipodes], Time Magazine, 31 January 1964</ref><ref>[http://www.altreitalie.it/ImagePub.aspx?id=79603 L'ascesa della 'Ndrangheta in Australia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615133803/http://www.altreitalie.it/ImagePub.aspx?id=79603 |date=15 June 2013 }}, by Pierluigi Spagnolo, Altreitalie, January–June 2010</ref>

The 'Ndrangheta began in Australia in Queensland, where they continued their form of rural organised crime, especially in the fruit and vegetable industry. After the 1998–2006 [[Melbourne gangland killings]] which included the murder of 'Ndrangheta Godfather Frank Benvenuto. In 2008, the 'Ndrangheta were tied to the importation of 15 million ecstasy pills to Melbourne, at the time the world's largest ecstasy haul. The pills were hidden in a container-load of tomato cans from Calabria. Australian 'Ndrangheta boss [[Barbaro 'ndrina|Pasquale Barbaro]] was arrested. Pasquale Barbaro's father Francesco Barbaro was a boss throughout the 1970s and early 1980s until his retirement.<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24147089-2,00.html AFP lands 'world's biggest drug haul'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080808151217/http://www.news.com.au/story/0%2C23599%2C24147089-2%2C00.html |date=8 August 2008}}, news.com.au, 8 August 2008</ref> Several of the Barbaro clan, including among others, Francesco, were suspected in orchestrating the murder of Australian businessman [[Donald Mackay (anti-drugs campaigner)|Donald Mackay]] in July 1977 for his anti-drugs campaign.<ref>Bob Bottom (1988). ''Shadow of Shame: How the mafia got away with the murder of Donald Mackay''. Victoria, Australia: Sun Books.</ref>

Italian authorities believe that former Western Australian mayor of the city of Stirling, [[Tony Vallelonga]], is an associate of Giuseppe Commisso, boss of the Siderno clan of the 'Ndrangheta.<ref name="Cowan">Sean Cowan (10 March 2011). "Vallelonga 'met senior mafia man'". [http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/8982579/vallelonga-met-senior-mafia-men/ ''The West Australian''] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130105162847/http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/8982579/vallelonga-met-senior-mafia-men/ |date=5 January 2013}}</ref> In 2009, Italian police overheard the two discussing 'Ndrangheta activities.<ref name="Cowan" /> Since migrating from Italy to Australia in 1963, Vallelonga has "established a long career in grass-roots politics."<ref>Nicole Cox et al. "Shocked former Stirling mayor Tony Vallelonga denies mafia connection". [http://www.news.com.au/national/former-stirling-mayor-tony-vallelonga-wanted-in-italian-mafia-crackdown/story-e6frfkvr-1226018725604 New''s.com.au'' (9 March 2011).] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514084000/http://www.news.com.au/national/former-stirling-mayor-tony-vallelonga-wanted-in-italian-mafia-crackdown/story-e6frfkvr-1226018725604 |date=14 May 2015 }}</ref>

The 'Ndrangheta are also tied to large cocaine imports. Up to 500 kilograms of cocaine was documented relating to the mafia and Australian associates smuggled in slabs of marble, plastic tubes and canned tuna, coming from South America to Melbourne via Italy between 2002 and 2004.<ref name="smh120110">[http://www.smh.com.au/world/four-face-trial-over-mafiarun-drug-ring-20100110-m0tg.html Four face trial over Mafia-run drug ring] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518152544/http://www.smh.com.au/world/four-face-trial-over-mafiarun-drug-ring-20100110-m0tg.html |date=18 May 2017 }}, The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 January 2010</ref> A report in 2016 by [[Vice Media]] indicated that the activities continued to be profitable: "Between 2004 and 2014, the gang's members amassed more than $10 million [$7.6 million USD] in real estate and race horses in Victoria alone pouring money into wholesalers, cafes, and restaurants".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-brief-and-terrible-history-of-the-honourable-society-australias-calabrian-mafia/ |title=Murder, Extortion, and Gelato: a History of the Calabrian Mafia in Australia |date=19 March 2016|work=Vice Media |access-date=24 February 2021 }}</ref>

A June 2015 report by [[BBC News]] discussed an investigation by [[Fairfax Media]] and 
[[Four Corners (Australian TV program)|Four Corners]] which alleged that "the 'Ndrangheta, runs a drugs and extortion business worth billions of euros" in Australia and that "politicians have been infiltrated by the Calabrian mafia".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-33306842 |title=Mafia 'linked to senior Australian politicians' |date=28 June 2015 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=24 February 2021 |quote='Ndrangheta mafia gang, the Honoured Society ... If this is true, it makes Acquaro the latest victim of one of the country's most secretive and brutal criminal groups, whose violent history stretches back almost a century.}}</ref>

In February 2020, two individuals, said to be "multimillionaire fruit and vegetable kings" were alleged to be 'Ndrangheta "capos", having a relationship with the "secretive criminal organisation". The [[Sydney Morning Herald]] report specified that the two "are not accused of any crime in either Italy or Australia". The alleged information was obtained during investigations of other individuals<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/9006 |title='Ndrangheta dealt personnel blow by thorough investigation |date=27 February 2020 |work=[[The Age]] |access-date=24 February 2021 |quote= Italian Insider: Italy’s Number 1 English language newspaper}}</ref> during Operation Eyphemos in Calabria,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/audio/two-prominent-australians-named-in-ndrangheta-wiretapping |title=Two prominent Australians named in 'ndrangheta wiretapping |date=11 March 2020 |work=SBS |access-date=24 February 2021 |quote=... in Calabria ... Two prominent Australians were mentioned in the order of custody, their names and roles in the criminal organisation revealed in a wiretapped conversation}}</ref> which "led to the arrest ... of 65 men for alleged mafia activities including extortion and political corruption in Calabria".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/two-australians-named-in-italian-court-as-alleged-leaders-of-the-mafia-20200226-p544nw.html |title=Massive GTA Mafia bust collapses. Defence says York police accessed lawyers' communications |date=27 February 2020 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=24 February 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/police-alleged-madafferi-ordered-brighton-hit-on-underworld-money-man-20200814-p55ly0.html |title=Police alleged Madafferi ordered Brighton hit on underworld money man |date=15 August 2020 |work=[[The Age]] |access-date=24 February 2021 }}</ref>

===Belgium===
'Ndrangheta clans purchased almost "an entire neighbourhood" in [[Brussels]] with laundered money originating from drug trafficking. On 5 March 2004, 47 people were arrested, accused of drug trafficking and money laundering to purchase real estate in Brussels for some 28 million euros. The activities extended to the Netherlands where large quantities of heroin and cocaine had been purchased by the [[Pesce 'ndrina|Pesce]]-[[Bellocco 'ndrina|Bellocco]] clan from [[Rosarno]] and the Strangio clan from [[San Luca]].<ref name="rep050304">{{in lang|it}} [http://www.repubblica.it/2004/c/sezioni/cronaca/narcotra/narcotra/narcotra.html "A Bruxelles un intero quartiere comprato dalla 'ndrangheta."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115054949/http://www.repubblica.it/2004/c/sezioni/cronaca/narcotra/narcotra/narcotra.html |date=15 January 2019 }} ''La Repubblica''. 5 March 2004.</ref><ref name="llb060304">{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.lalibre.be/index.php?view=article&art_id=156758 La mafia calabraise recycle à Bruxelles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611114139/http://www.lalibre.be/index.php?view=article&art_id=156758 |date=11 June 2011 }}, ''La Libre Belgique'', 6 March 2004.</ref>

===Brazil===
{{See also|Primeiro Comando da Capital}}
The 'Ndrangheta has operated in [[Brazil]] since the 1970s, but an alliance between various 'ndrine clans and the [[Primeiro Comando da Capital]] since the mid-2010s has increased the mafia's presence in the country. A reliable stream of cocaine from Brazil is crucial to the 'Ndrangheta's grip on the European cocaine market, and the alliance has enabled a massive overseas expansion for the PCC through access to different markets across Africa, Europe and Asia.<ref name=gitoc>{{cite web|url=https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Gabriel-Feltran-Isabela-Vianna-Pinho-and-Lucia-Bird-Atlantic-connections-The-PCC-and-the-Brazil%E2%80%93West-Africa-cocaine-trade-GI-TOC-August-2022.pdf|title=Atlantic Connections: The PCC and the Brazil-West Africa cocaine trade|author=Gabriel Feltran, Isabela Vianna Pinho and Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo|publisher=[[Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime]]|date=August 2023|access-date=30 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010075143/https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Gabriel-Feltran-Isabela-Vianna-Pinho-and-Lucia-Bird-Atlantic-connections-The-PCC-and-the-Brazil%E2%80%93West-Africa-cocaine-trade-GI-TOC-August-2022.pdf|archive-date=10 October 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
A share of cocaine exported by the PCC and the 'Ndrangheta moves through [[West Africa]], and international and regional law enforcement investigations have implicated 'Ndrangheta elements in cocaine trafficking in several countries across the region, including [[Senegal]], [[Niger]], [[Ghana]] and [[Côte d'Ivoire]]. 'Ndrine clans operate in West Africa through the stable presence of individuals in certain countries, as well as through trusted brokers established through visits by 'Ndrangheta clan family members.<ref name="gitoc"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://diariodonordeste.verdesmares.com.br/cadernos/nacional/mafia-italiana-atua-com-traficantes-1.1022636|title=Máfia italiana atua com traficantes – Nacional – Diário do Nordeste|website=Diário do Nordeste|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130015253/http://diariodonordeste.verdesmares.com.br/cadernos/nacional/mafia-italiana-atua-com-traficantes-1.1022636|archive-date=30 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2021, a joint operation by the Federal Police of Brazil, Interpol and Italian police arrested Italian mobster Vincenzo Pasquino, in a flat in João Pessoa, along with Rocco Morabito, one of the most wanted Italian drug traffickers at the time. Pasquino held a leadership position in the Calabrian mafia, the 'Ndrangheta.<ref name="G1 25 July 2024">{{cite web |title=Mafioso italiano que foi preso no Brasil decide contar às autoridades de seu país segredos do PCC |url=https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2024/07/25/mafioso-italiano-que-foi-preso-no-brasil-decide-contar-as-autoridades-de-seu-pais-segredos-do-pcc.ghtml |publisher=G1 |access-date=26 July 2024 |language=pt |date=25 July 2024}}</ref>

Several important 'Ndrangheta bosses have been arrested in Brazil, such as Domenico Pelle, Nicola Assisi and [[Rocco Morabito (mobster, born 1966)|Rocco Morabito]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-41196027 |title=BBC Brasil: 'Narcosur': as conexões da máfia italiana com o PCC e os cartéis latino-americanos |publisher=BBC News Brasil |access-date=19 June 2022 |archive-date=19 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619085317/https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-41196027 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Assisi and Morabito (according to investigations by the [[Brazilian Federal Police]]) resided in Brazil, where they pretended to be legitimate businessmen and lived in luxury properties, while negotiating with important members of the PCC.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://noticias.uol.com.br/reportagens-especiais/os-negocios-do-pcc-com-a-mafia-italiana/#cover |title=UOL: O PCC e a máfia italiana |access-date=19 June 2022 |archive-date=12 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412133849/https://noticias.uol.com.br/reportagens-especiais/os-negocios-do-pcc-com-a-mafia-italiana/#cover |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://noticias.uol.com.br/colunas/josmar-jozino/2021/05/26/rocco-morabito.htm |title=UOL/Josimar Jozino: Mafioso italiano preso no Brasil dava caixinha de R$100 em flat na Paraíba |access-date=19 June 2022 |archive-date=8 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808164758/https://noticias.uol.com.br/colunas/josmar-jozino/2021/05/26/rocco-morabito.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2022, a [[Federal Police (Brazil)|Federal Police]] investigation on the PCC's usage of the [[Port of Rio de Janeiro]] for part of its cocaine exports to Europe revealed a criminal network that included Chendal Wilfrido Rosa, a member of the [[No Limit Soldiers (organized crime group)|No Limit Soldiers]] who was acting as a representative for 'Ndrangheta in Brazil.<ref name=portorio>{{cite web|url=https://www.metropoles.com/sao-paulo/como-o-pcc-montou-uma-rede-para-despachar-droga-pelo-porto-do-inimigo|title=Como o PCC montou uma rede para despachar droga pelo porto do inimigo|author=Alfredo Henrique|language=pt|publisher=[[Metrópoles]]|date=23 March 2024|access-date=28 March 2024}}</ref>

In June 2023, the São Paulo Civil Police arrested Garip Uç, a Turkish [[chemist]] associated with [[Hezbollah]] during an operation in [[Praia Grande]]. Investigations later pointed to Moroccan [[hashish]] being imported to Brazil by a criminal network that involved the PCC, 'Ndrangheta, the Balkan Mafia and Hezbollah, by way of Barakat clan entrepreneurs who operated in the [[Triple Frontier]] region.<ref name="quimico">{{cite web|url=https://www.estadao.com.br/politica/marcelo-godoy/as-novas-ligacoes-do-pcc-e-da-ndrangheta-com-o-hezbollah-no-trafico-internacional-de-drogas/|publisher=[[O Estado de S. Paulo]]|title=As novas ligações do PCC e da máfia 'Ndrangheta com o Hezbollah no tráfico internacional de drogas|language=pt|author=Marcelo Godoy|date=4 December 2023|access-date=4 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204140423/https://www.estadao.com.br/politica/marcelo-godoy/as-novas-ligacoes-do-pcc-e-da-ndrangheta-com-o-hezbollah-no-trafico-internacional-de-drogas/|archive-date=4 December 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2024, [[Vincenzo Pasquino]] who was arrested in Brazil decided to tell the authorities in his country about the criminal factions PCC and CV's secrets. He signed a kind of plea bargain with the Italian justice system.<ref name="G1 25 July 2024"/>

===Canada===
According to a May 2018 news report, "Siderno's Old World 'Ndrangheta boss sent acolytes to populate the New World" including Michele (Mike) Racco who settled in Toronto in 1952, followed by other mob families. By 2010, investigators in Italy said that Toronto's 'Ndrangheta had climbed "to the top of the criminal world" with "an unbreakable umbilical cord" to Calabria.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/feature/when-cops-cant-convict-a-top-mafia-boss-they-turn-to-desperate-measures|title=When Cops Can't Convict a 'Top Mafia Boss,' They Turn to Desperate Measures |newspaper=National Post |date=1 May 2018|publisher=nationalpost.com|last1=Humphreys |first1=Adrian }}</ref>

The Canadian 'Ndrangheta is believed to be involved in various activities including the smuggling of unlicensed [[tobacco]] products through ties with criminal elements in cross-border [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] tribes.<ref name="MackenzieInstitute">{{cite web |url=http://www.mackenzieinstitute.com/1994/sin-tax-failure9.htm |title=Sin-Tax Failure: The Market in Contraband Tobacco and Public Safety |publisher=The Mackenzie Institute |author=Thompson, John C. |date=January 1994 |access-date=7 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070415050016/http://www.mackenzieinstitute.com/1994/sin-tax-failure9.htm |archive-date=15 April 2007<!--Added by DASHBot-->}}</ref> According to Alberto Cisterna of the Italian National Anti-Mafia Directorate, the 'Ndrangheta has a heavy presence in Canada. "There is a massive number of their people in North America, especially in Toronto. And for two reasons. The first is linked to the banking system. Canada's banking system is very secretive; it does not allow investigation. So Canada is the ideal place to launder money. The second reason is to smuggle drugs." The 'Ndrangheta have found Canada a useful North American entry point.<ref name="NatPost20100924">{{cite news |last=Humphries |first=Adrian |date=24 September 2010 |title=A New Mafia: Crime families ruling Toronto, Italy alleges |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/a-new-mafia-crime-families-ruling-toronto-italy-alleges |work=[[National Post]] |location=Toronto, Ontario |access-date=21 February 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20101121205652/http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Mafia+Crime+families+ruling+Toronto+Italy+alleges/3576903/story.html |archive-date=21 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The organization used extortion, loan sharking, theft, electoral crimes, mortgage and bank fraud, crimes of violence and cocaine trafficking.<ref name="carmine" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/04/10/ex-mobster-tells-court-24m-he-was-paid-for-working-as-police-agent-isnt-half-of-what-i-gave-up.html|title=Ex-mobster tells court $2.4M he was paid for working as police agent 'isn't half of what I gave up'|author=Peter Edwards|date=10 April 2018|work=Toronto Star|access-date=18 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918193734/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/04/10/ex-mobster-tells-court-24m-he-was-paid-for-working-as-police-agent-isnt-half-of-what-i-gave-up.html|archive-date=18 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

A Canadian branch labelled the [[Siderno Group]] has been active in Canada since the 1950s; it was formed originally by Michele (Mike) Racco, who was the head of the Group until his death in 1980. Siderno is also home to one of the 'Ndrangheta's biggest and most important clans, heavily involved in the global cocaine business and money laundering.<ref name="NatPost20100924" /> [[Antonio Commisso]], the alleged leader of the Siderno group, is reported to lead efforts to import "illicit arms, explosives and drugs".<ref name="NathansonSociety">{{cite web |url=http://www.yorku.ca/nathanson/CurrentEvents/2005_Q2.htm#Italian |title=Organized Crime in Canada: A Quarterly Summary |publisher=Nathanson Society |date=June 2005 |access-date=7 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070330134720/http://www.yorku.ca/nathanson/CurrentEvents/2005_Q2.htm#Italian |archive-date=30 March 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> Elements of 'Ndrangheta have been reported to have been present in [[Hamilton, Ontario]] as early as 1911.<ref name="CorriereCanadese20010624">{{cite news |publisher=Corriere Canadese |title=The twisted code of silence: Part 4 – Murder, extortion and drug dealing exemplified organized crime in Toronto |author=Nicaso, Antonio |date=24 June 2001}} Viewed 7 April 2007.</ref> Historical crime families in the Hamilton area include the [[Musitano crime family|Musitanos]], [[Luppino crime family|Luppinos]] and [[Papalia crime family|Papalias]].<ref name="Mobsters free">{{cite news|title=Unease as mobsters set free|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=b9fa5e38-48cb-40a0-b390-cbcd989d6e37|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629210748/http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=b9fa5e38-48cb-40a0-b390-cbcd989d6e37|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2013|work=National Post|access-date=29 June 2013}}</ref>

According to an agreed Statement of Fact filed with the court, "the Locali [local cells] outside of Calabria replicate the structure from Calabria, and are connected to their mother-Locali in Calabria. The authority to start Locali outside Calabria comes from the governing bodies of the organization in Calabria. The Locali outside of Calabria are part of the same 'Ndrangheta organization as in Calabria, and maintain close relationships with the Locali where its members come from." The group's activities in the [[Greater Toronto Area]] were controlled by a group known as the '[[Camera di Controllo]]' which "makes all of the final decisions", according to the witness' testimony.<ref name="carmine">{{cite news|date= 24 March 2018|title= Toronto court hears testimony on inner workings of 'Ndrangheta organized crime group|url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8349225-toronto-court-hears-testimony-on-inner-workings-of-ndrangheta-organized-crime-group/?s=n1|newspaper=Waterloo Region Record|location=Kitchener, Ontario}}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> It consists of six or seven [[Toronto]]-area men, who co-ordinate activities and resolves disputes among [[Siderno Group|Calabrian gangsters]] in [[Southern Ontario]]. In 1962, Racco established a ''[[crimine|crimini]]'' or Camera di Controllo in Canada with the help of [[Giacomo Luppino]] and [[Rocco Zito]].<ref name="crimini">{{cite book |last=Schneider |first=Stephen |date=15 October 1998 |title=Canadian Organized Crime|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0hBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA178|location=Toronto|publisher=Canadian Scholars' Press Inc.|page=178|isbn=1773380249}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2016/01/30/the-life-and-death-of-rocco-zito|title=The life and death of Rocco Zito|publisher=torontosun.com|date=30 January 2016|access-date=4 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102075702/http://www.torontosun.com/2016/01/30/the-life-and-death-of-rocco-zito/|archive-date=2 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="style">{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/news/youd-never-guess-he-was-a-mafia-chieftain-longtime-toronto-mob-boss-rocco-zito-killed-in-violent-attack|title=You'd never guess he was a Mafia chieftain': Longtime mob boss killed in violent attack in Toronto home|publisher=nationalpost.com|date=30 January 2016|access-date=4 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="schneider310">Schneider, ''Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada'', pp. 310</ref> One of the members was [[Giuseppe Coluccio]], before he was arrested and extradited to Italy.<ref name="np160808">[https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=727759 Life of luxury on hold]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}, ''National Post'', 16 August 2008</ref> Other members are [[Vincenzo DeMaria]],<ref name="np160909">[https://nationalpost.com/Reputed+Mafia+boss+wants+police+allegations+barred+from+hearing/2001514/story.html Reputed Mafia boss wants police allegations barred from hearing]{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}, ''National Post'', 16 September 2009</ref><ref>[https://nationalpost.com/news/police-lose-track-of-alleged-soldier-in-the-mob-until-canadian-tire-tussle Police lose track of alleged soldier in the mob, until Canadian Tire tussle], National Post, 17 February 2011</ref> [[Carmine Verduci]] before his death,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/03/27/court-hears-details-of-mob-killings-in-secret-recordings.html|title=Court hears details of mob killings in secret recordings|work=The Star|date=27 March 2018|access-date=18 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705150609/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/03/27/court-hears-details-of-mob-killings-in-secret-recordings.html|archive-date=5 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and Cosimo Stalteri before his death.<ref>[http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/02/14/calabrian-mafia-boss-earned-mobs-respect/ Calabrian Mafia boss earned mob's respect] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130129122009/http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/02/14/calabrian-mafia-boss-earned-mobs-respect/ |date=29 January 2013}}, ''National Post'', 14 February 2011</ref> In August 2015, the [[Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada]] (IRB) issued a [[deportation]] order for [[Carmelo Bruzzese]].<ref name="deport">{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto-area-grandfather-accused-of-being-italian-mob-boss-ordered-deported-to-face-trial|title=Toronto-area grandfather accused of being Italian mob boss ordered deported to face trial|newspaper=National Post|publisher=nationalpost.com|date=10 August 2015|last1=Humphreys|first1=Adrian}}</ref> Bruzzese appealed the decision to Canada's [[Federal Court (Canada)|Federal Court]], but it was rejected,<ref name="deport" /> and on 2 October 2015, Bruzzese was escorted onto a plane in [[Toronto]], landing in [[Rome]], where he was arrested by Italian police.<ref name="land">{{cite web|title=Suspected Mafia boss deported in renewed push from Canada and Italy against the mob.|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/deportation-of-suspected-mafia-boss-seen-as-start-of-renewed-push-between-canada-and-italy-against-the-mob|date=3 October 2015|work=National Post|access-date=21 August 2019}}</ref> Major Giuseppe De Felice, a commander with the [[Carabinieri]], told the IRB that Bruzzese "assumed the most important roles and decisions. He gave the orders."<ref name="land" />

After living in [[Richmond Hill, Ontario]] for five years until 2010, Antonio Coluccio was one of 29 people named in arrest warrants in Italy in September 2014. Police said they were part of the [[Commisso 'ndrina]] ('Ndrangheta) crime family in [[Siderno]]. In July 2018, Coluccio was sentenced to 30 years in prison for corruption. His two brothers, including Salvatore and [[Giuseppe Coluccio]], were already in prison due to Mafia-related convictions.<ref name="auto">{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/world/heavy-prison-sentence-in-italy-against-mobster-ends-his-yearning-to-return-to-canada|title=Heavy prison sentence in Italy against mobster likely ends his yearning to return to Canada|author=Adrian Humphreys|date=18 July 2018|work=National Post}}</ref>

In June 2018, Cosimo Ernesto Commisso, of [[Woodbridge, Ontario]], and an unrelated woman were shot and killed in his vehicle whilst outside his home. According to sources contacted by the ''[[Toronto Star]]'', "Commisso was related to [[Cosimo Commisso (mobster)|Cosimo "The Quail" Commisso]] of Siderno, Italy, who has had relations in Ontario, is considered by police to be a "'Ndrangheta organized crime boss".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/07/02/man-killed-in-woodbridge-shooting-had-family-ties-to-organized-crime.html|title=Man killed in Woodbridge shooting had family ties to organized crime – The Star|website=[[Toronto Star]]|date=2 July 2018|access-date=8 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708220810/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/07/02/man-killed-in-woodbridge-shooting-had-family-ties-to-organized-crime.html|archive-date=8 July 2018|url-status=live|last1=Edwards|first1=Peter}}</ref> The ''[[National Post]]'' reported that Cosimo Ernesto Commisso, while not a known criminal, "shares a name and family ties with a man who has for decades been reputed to be a Mafia leader in the Toronto area".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-less-you-know-the-better-it-is-mob-links-to-shocking-murder-of-man-woman-on-quiet-woodbridge-street|title='The less you know the better it is': Mob links in murder of man, woman on quiet Woodbridge street|newspaper=National Post|date=29 June 2018|last1=Humphreys|first1=Adrian}}</ref> The cousin of "The Quail", [[Antonio Commisso]], was on the [[list of most wanted fugitives in Italy]] until his capture on 28 June 2005, in Woodbridge.<ref name="np300705">[http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=9af45529-0622-4e8e-be40-ebfc4c7a4f2b Back to the 'wolves'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080323104911/http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=9af45529-0622-4e8e-be40-ebfc4c7a4f2b |date=23 March 2008}}, ''National Post'', 30 July 2005</ref>

In June 2015, RCMP led police raids across the [[Greater Toronto Area]], named Project OPhoenix, which resulted in the arrest of 19 men, allegedly affiliated with the 'Ndrangheta. In March 2018, during the resultant criminal trial north of Toronto, the court heard from a Carabinieri lieutenant-colonel that 'Ndrangheta is active in Germany, Australia and the Greater Toronto Area. "People in Italy have to be responsible for their representatives here but the final word comes from Italy".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/03/24/toronto-court-hears-testimony-on-inner-workings-of-ndrangheta-organized-crime-group.html|title=Toronto court hears testimony on inner workings of 'Ndrangheta organized crime group|work=The Star|date=24 March 2018|access-date=18 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516103642/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/03/24/toronto-court-hears-testimony-on-inner-workings-of-ndrangheta-organized-crime-group.html|archive-date=16 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> A member of the Greater Toronto Area's 'Ndrangheta cell, Carmine Guido, who had been a police informant, testified at length in 2018 about the structure and activities of the organization which had been under the control of Italian-born [[Bradford, Ontario]] resident, Giuseppe (Pino) Ursino and Romanian-born Cosmin (Chris) Dracea of Toronto. The latter two faced two counts of cocaine trafficking for the benefit of a criminal organization and one charge of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.<ref name="million">{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/03/28/i-was-starting-to-lose-my-mind-former-mobster-tells-cocaine-trafficking-trial.html|title='I was starting to lose my mind,' former mobster tells cocaine trafficking trial|work=The Star|date=28 March 2018|access-date=29 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329173826/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/03/28/i-was-starting-to-lose-my-mind-former-mobster-tells-cocaine-trafficking-trial.html|archive-date=29 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Guido was paid $2.4 million by the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] between 2013 and 2015 to secretly tape dozens of conversations with suspected 'Ndrangheta members.<ref name="million" /><ref>[https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/01/09/crown-calling-for-lengthy-prison-sentences-in-gta-mafia-drug-importing-trial.html Crown calling for lengthy prison sentences in GTA Mafia drug-importing trial] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111055040/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/01/09/crown-calling-for-lengthy-prison-sentences-in-gta-mafia-drug-importing-trial.html |date=11 January 2019}}, ''Toronto Star'', 9 January 2019</ref><ref>[https://nationalpost.com/news/no-excuses-besides-being-stupid-drug-smuggler-in-landmark-mafia-trial-tells-judge-at-sentencing-hearing No excuses 'besides being stupid,' drug smuggler in landmark Mafia trial tells judge at sentencing hearing], ''National Post'', 9 January 2019</ref> In February 2019, Ursino was sentenced to {{frac|11|1|2}} years in prison on drug trafficking charges, with Dracea sentenced to nine years in prison on cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Neither had a previous criminal record. At the sentencing, the presiding judge made this comment: "Based on the evidence at trial, Giuseppe Ursino is a high-ranking member of the 'Ndrangheta who orchestrated criminal conduct and then stepped back to lessen his potential implication. ... Cosmin Dracea knew he was dealing with members of a criminal organization when he conspired to import cocaine".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/9201189-judge-sentences-ndrangheta-crime-boss-to-11-1-2-years-for-cocaine-conspiracy/|title=Judge sentences 'Ndrangheta crime boss to 11-1/2 years for cocaine conspiracy|publisher=Simcoe News|date=1 March 2019|access-date=28 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428144926/https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/9201189-judge-sentences-ndrangheta-crime-boss-to-11-1-2-years-for-cocaine-conspiracy/|archive-date=28 April 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During the Ursino/Dracea trial, an Italian police expert testified that the 'Ndrangheta operated in the Greater Toronto Area and in [[Thunder Bay]] particularly in drug trafficking, extortion, loan sharking, theft of public funds, robbery, fraud, electoral crimes and crimes of violence. After the trial, Tom Andreopoulos, deputy chief federal prosecutor, said that this was the first time in Canada that the 'Ndrangheta was targeted as an organized crime group since 1997, when the Criminal Code was amended to include the offence of criminal organization.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/02/28/toronto-judge-sentences-ndrangheta-crime-boss-to-11-years-for-cocaine-conspiracy.html|title=Toronto judge sentences 'Ndrangheta crime boss to 11 1/2 years for cocaine conspiracy|newspaper=Toronto Star|access-date=2 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301130900/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/02/28/toronto-judge-sentences-ndrangheta-crime-boss-to-11-years-for-cocaine-conspiracy.html|archive-date=1 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> He offered this comment about the organization:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/news/membership-in-mafia-better-than-gold-landmark-trial-of-two-mobsters-hears/wcm/166b9787-1da6-4d14-bac2-c1663bf63c10|title=Membership in Mafia 'better than gold,' landmark trial of two mobsters hears|publisher=stratfordbeaconherald.com|date=8 November 2018|access-date=28 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428150327/https://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/news/membership-in-mafia-better-than-gold-landmark-trial-of-two-mobsters-hears/wcm/166b9787-1da6-4d14-bac2-c1663bf63c10|archive-date=28 April 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><blockquote>"We're talking about structured organized crime. We're talking about a political entity, almost; a culture of crime that colonizes across the sea from Italy to Canada. This is one of the most sophisticated criminal organizations in the world."</blockquote>

In June 2018, a Mafia expert wrote that "A new alliance between Bonanno associates and the Violi family ... is significant, as it suggests a growing prominence for Calabrian mafia – the 'Ndrangheta – within the New York families and in Canada". Criminologist Anna Sergi of the University of Essex added that drug trafficking was the most active pursuit in North America.<ref name="thestar.com">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/07/13/pat-musitano-killing-opens-the-door-for-turnover-in-hamilton-mafia-underworld-expert-says.html |title=Pat Musitano killing opens the door for turnover in Hamilton Mafia underworld, expert says |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=13 July 2020 |last1=Edwards |first1=Peter}}</ref>

On 18 July 2019, the [[York Regional Police]] announced the largest organized crime bust in Ontario, part of an 18-month long operation called Project Sindicato that was also coordinated with the [[Italian State Police]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/largest-mafia-bust-in-ontario-history-15-arrests-35-million-worth-of-homes-seized-1.4513261|publisher=toronto.ctvnews.ca|date=18 July 2019|title=Largest mafia bust in Ontario history: 15 arrests, $35 million worth of homes seized|access-date=18 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718174002/https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/largest-mafia-bust-in-ontario-history-15-arrests-35-million-worth-of-homes-seized-1.4513261|archive-date=18 July 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> York Regional Police had arrested 15 people in Canada, 12 people in Calabria, and seized $35 million worth of homes, sports cars and cash in a major trans-Atlantic probe targeting the most prominent wing of the 'Ndrangheta in Canada headed by Angelo Figliomeni. On 14 and 15 July, approximately 500 officers raided 48 homes and businesses across the GTA, seizing 27 homes worth $24 million, 23 cars, including five [[Ferrari]]s, and $2 million in cash and jewelry. Nine of the 15 arrests in Canada included major crime figures: Angelo Figliomeni, Vito Sili, Nick Martino, Emilio Zannuti, Erica Quintal, Salvatore Oliveti, Giuseppe Ciurleo, Rafael Lepore and Francesco Vitucci.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yrp.ca/en/Modules/News/index.aspx?newsId=c94c9faa-fe0c-4971-a310-7448e82659ef|title=Charges List- Organized Crime Charges Laid and Proceeds of Crime Seized |publisher=yrp.ca|date=18 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718174049/https://www.yrp.ca/en/Modules/News/index.aspx?newsId=c94c9faa-fe0c-4971-a310-7448e82659ef |archive-date=18 July 2019 }}</ref> The charges laid included tax evasion, money laundering, defrauding the government and participating in a criminal organization.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/figliomeni-crime-family-ndrangheta-vaughan-york-police-1.5216270|title=Project Sindacato ends in arrests of 9 members of alleged crime family in Vaughan|publisher=cbc.ca|date=18 July 2019|access-date=19 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719084248/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/figliomeni-crime-family-ndrangheta-vaughan-york-police-1.5216270|archive-date=19 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

During a press conference in [[Vaughan]], Ontario, Fausto Lamparelli of the Italian State Police, offered this comment about the relationship between the 'Ndrangheta in Ontario and Calabria:<ref>{{cite news|title=Following dirty money leads police to alleged Mafia clan north of Toronto living life of luxury|date=18 July 2019|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/following-dirty-money-leads-police-to-alleged-mafia-clan-north-of-toronto-living-life-of-luxury|work=National Post |access-date=19 July 2019|quote=Also charged are Emilio Zannuti, 48, of Vaughan, alleged to play a senior role in the organization; Vito Sili, 37, of Vaughan, alleged to help move the group's money; Erica Quintal, 30, of Bolton, alleged to be a bookkeeper with the group; Nicola Martino, 52, of Vaughan, alleged to be another money man; Giuseppe Ciurleo, 30, of Toronto, alleged to help Zanutti run gambling; Rafael Lepore, 59, of Vaughan, alleged to be a gambling machine operator; and Francesco Vitucci, 44, of Vaughan, alleged to be Figlimoeni's former driver who moved up to help run a café.}}</ref><blockquote>"This investigation allowed us to learn something new. The 'Ndrangheta crime families in Canada are able to operate autonomously, without asking permission or seeking direction from Italy. Traditionally, 'Ndrangheta clans around the world are all subservient to the mother ship in Calabria. It suggests the power and influence the Canadian-based clans have built."</blockquote>

On 9 August 2019, as part of the same joint investigation, several former Greater Toronto Area residents were arrested in Calabria, including Giuseppe DeMaria, Francesco Commisso, Rocco Remo Commisso, Antonio Figliomeni and Cosimo Figiomeni.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/08/09/several-gta-residents-arrested-in-italy-following-mafia-sweep.html|title=Several GTA residents arrested in Italy following Mafia sweep|work=The Star|date=9 August 2019|access-date=11 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811144541/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/08/09/several-gta-residents-arrested-in-italy-following-mafia-sweep.html|archive-date=11 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Vincenzo Muià had visited Toronto on 31 March 2019 to meet with Angelo and Cosimo Figliomeni, seeking answers to who had ambushed and killed his brother, Carmelo Muià, in Siderno on 18 January 2018; Muià's smartphone was unwittingly and secretly transmitting his closed-door conversations to authorities in Italy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/italian-mafia-boss-visiting-canada-unwitting-carried-a-police-wiretap-to-his-meetings|publisher=nationalpost.com|date=11 August 2019|title=Italian Mafia boss visiting Canada unwittingly carried a police wiretap to his meetings|newspaper=National Post|last1=Humphreys|first1=Adrian}}</ref>

In 2020, the charges laid against three individuals as a result of Project Sindicato were "stayed" (the prosecution discontinued), unless the prosecutors could find new evidence and proceeded with the charges again within one year. In January 2021, the charges against the remaining six were also stayed, including that of Angelo Figliomeni, "the head of the 'Ndrangheta in Toronto" according to York Regional Police.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thespec.com/news/ontario/2020/01/27/mafia-boss-with-ties-to-gta-arrests-found-dead-in-italian-prison-cell.html |title=Mafia boss with ties to GTA arrests found dead in Italian prison cell |date=27 January 2021 |work=Hamilton Spectator |access-date=24 February 2021 |quote=York police at the time said they considered Angelo Figliomini as the head of an international 'Ndrangheta group with a base in York Region.}}</ref> The charges were stayed after an investigation "into the use of the privileged conversations" that found "improper use of wiretapping" and "significant breaches of [[solicitor-client privilege]]". All property seized by police must now be returned – with the exception of illegal possessions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sindacato-charges-stayed-mob-york-police-1.5925133 |title=Charges stayed in one of Ontario's largest Mob busts after alleged illegal conduct by investigators |date=24 February 2021 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=24 February 2021 |quote=All property seized by police must now be returned – with the exception of illegal possessions, such as the gambling machines}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/02/24/massive-gta-mafia-bust-collapses-defence-says-york-police-accessed-lawyers-communications.html |title=Massive GTA Mafia bust collapses. Defence says York police accessed lawyers' communications |date=24 February 2021 |work=Toronto Star |access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref>

===Colombia===
The 'Ndrangheta clans were closely associated with the [[United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia|AUC paramilitary groups]] led by [[Salvatore Mancuso]], a son of Italian immigrants; he surrendered to [[Álvaro Uribe]]'s government to avoid extradition to the U.S.<ref name="uni150407">{{in lang|es}} [http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/418741.html ''"Tiene Italia indicios sobre presencia de cárteles mexicanos en Europa"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824202926/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/418741.html |date=24 August 2007 }}, ''[[El Universal (Mexico City)|El Universal]]'', 15 April 2007.</ref> According to [[Giuseppe Lumia]] of the Italian Parliamentary [[Antimafia Commission]], 'Ndrangheta clans are actively involved in the production of [[cocaine]].<ref name="uni301007">{{in lang|es}} [http://noticias.eluniversal.com/2007/10/30/int_art_la-mafia-calabresa-p_566264.shtml ''"La mafia calabresa produce su cocaína en Colombia"''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209091312/https://noticias.eluniversal.com/2007/10/30/int_art_la-mafia-calabresa-p_566264.shtml |date=9 February 2012}}, ''El Universal'' (Caracas), 30 October 2007.</ref> The [[Mancuso 'ndrina]] is a powerful 'Ndrangheta family.

===Germany===
According to a study by the German foreign intelligence service, the [[Bundesnachrichtendienst]], 'Ndrangheta groups are using Germany to invest cash from drugs and weapons smuggling. Profits are invested in hotels, restaurants and houses, especially along the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] coast and in the eastern German states of [[Thuringia]] and [[Saxony]].<ref name="dw131106">[http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2237523,00.html "Italian Mafia Invests Millions in Germany"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028064921/http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2237523,00.html |date=28 October 2007 }}, ''Deutsche Welle'', 13 November 2006.</ref><ref name="bz111106">{{in lang|de}} [http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/2006/1111/politik/0049/index.html ''"Mafia setzt sich in Deutschland fest"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013161340/http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/2006/1111/politik/0049/index.html |date=13 October 2007}} ("Mafia sets firmly in Germany"), ''Berliner Zeitung'', 11 November 2006.</ref> Investigators believe that the mafia's bases in Germany are used primarily for clandestine financial transactions. In 1999, the state Office of Criminal Investigation in [[Stuttgart]] investigated an Italian from San Luca who had allegedly laundered millions through a local bank, the Sparkasse Ulm. The man claimed that he managed a profitable car dealership, and authorities were unable to prove that the business was not the source of his money. The [[Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany)|Bundeskriminalamt]] concluded in 2000 that "the activities of this 'Ndrangheta clan represent a multi-regional criminal phenomenon."<ref name="spi200807">[http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,500785,00.html "A Mafia Wake-Up Call"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020182738/http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,500785,00.html |date=20 October 2007 }}, ''Der Spiegel'', 20 August 2007.</ref>

A war between the two 'Ndrangheta clans Pelle-Romeo (Pelle-Vottari) and Strangio-Nirta from [[San Luca]] that had started in 1991 in their home town in Calabria and resulted in several deaths, spilled into Germany in 2007; six men were shot dead in front of an Italian restaurant in [[Duisburg]] on 15 August 2007.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6949274.stm "A mafia family feud spills over"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025032111/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6949274.stm |date=25 October 2007 }}, [[BBC News Online]], 16 August 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2265889.ece "How the tentacles of the Calabrian Mafia spread from Italy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906105229/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2265889.ece |date=6 September 2008 }}, ''[[The Times|Times Online]]'', 15 August 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,500016,00.html "Six Italians Killed in Duisburg"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013054947/http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,500016,00.html |date=13 October 2007 }}, ''[[Der Spiegel|Spiegel Online]]'', 15 August 2007.</ref> (See [[San Luca feud]].)

In 2009, a confidential report by the Bundeskriminalamt said some 'Ndrangheta families were living in Germany, and were involved in gun-running, [[money laundering]], drug-dealing and racketeering, as well as legal businesses. Some 900 people were involved in criminal activity, and were also legal owners of hundreds of restaurants, as well as being major players in the property market in the former East. The most represented 'Ndrangheta family originated from the city of [[San Luca]] (Italy), with some 200 members in Germany.<ref>[http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/281181,report-germany-losing-battle-against-calabrian-mafia.html "Report: Germany losing battle against Calabrian mafia"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905081345/http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/281181,report-germany-losing-battle-against-calabrian-mafia.html |date=5 September 2012 }}, ''The Earth Times'', 12 August 2009.</ref><ref>{{in lang|de}} [http://www.zeit.de/online/2009/33/vorab-mafia-deutschland "''Italienische Mafia wird in Deutschland heimisch''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090814204924/http://www.zeit.de/online/2009/33/vorab-mafia-deutschland |date=14 August 2009 }} ("Italian Mafia makes home in Germany"), ''Die Zeit'', 12 August 2009.</ref> According to the head of the German federal police service, [[Jörg Ziercke]], "Half of the criminal groups identified in Germany belong to the 'Ndrangheta. It has been the biggest criminal group since the 1980s. Compared to other groups operating in Germany, the Italians have the strongest organization."<ref>[http://www.businessghana.com/portal/news/index.php?op=getNews&news_cat_id=1&id=177252 "One in two crime gangs in Germany are Italian, police boss says"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603022907/http://www.businessghana.com/portal/news/index.php?op=getNews&news_cat_id=1&id=177252 |date=3 June 2013 }}, ''Business Ghana'', 8 January 2013.</ref>

===Netherlands===
{{ill|Sebastiano Strangio|it}} allegedly lived for 10 years in the Netherlands, where he managed his contacts with Colombian cocaine cartels. He was arrested in [[Amsterdam]] on 27 October 2005.<ref name="rep281005">{{in lang|it}} [http://www.repubblica.it/2005/i/sezioni/cronaca/ndrangheta/strangio/strangio.html ''"'Ndrangheta, preso ad Amsterdam il boss Sebastiano Strangio''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815134022/http://www.repubblica.it/2005/i/sezioni/cronaca/ndrangheta/strangio/strangio.html |date=15 August 2007 }}, ''[[La Repubblica]]'', 28 October 2005.</ref><ref name="rep270306">{{in lang|it}} [http://www.repubblica.it/2006/c/sezioni/cronaca/strangiorientra/strangiorientra/strangiorientra.html ''"'Ndrangheta, estradato dall'Olanda il boss Sebastiano Strangio"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220125559/http://www.repubblica.it/2006/c/sezioni/cronaca/strangiorientra/strangiorientra/strangiorientra.html |date=20 February 2011 }}, ''[[La Repubblica]]'', 27 March 2006.</ref><ref name="tel190807">{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/69258311/Maffiakillers_zijn_hier.html?p=2,1 "''Maffiakillers Duisburg zijn hier"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929125300/http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/69258311/Maffiakillers_zijn_hier.html?p=2,1 |date=29 September 2007 }}, ''[[De Telegraaf]]'', 19 August 2007.</ref> The seaports of [[Rotterdam]] and [[Amsterdam]] are used to import cocaine. The Giorgi, Nirta and Strangio clans from [[San Luca]] have a base in the Netherlands and [[Brussels]] (Belgium).<ref name="sol180807">{{in lang|it}} [https://archive.today/20110728113233/http://www.articolo21.info/rassegne/generale18082007/Art00149.htm ''"Olanda, Paese-rifugio dei killer"''], ''Il Sole 24 Ore'', 18 August 2007.</ref> In March 2012, the head of the Dutch [[National Police Corps (Netherlands)|National Crime Squad]] (''Dienst Nationale Recherche'', DNR) stated that the DNR will team up with the [[Tax and Customs Administration]] and the [[FIOD-ECD|Fiscal Information and Investigation Service]] to combat the 'Ndrangheta.<ref name="NOS20120310">{{in lang|nl}} [http://nos.nl/artikel/349969-recherche-onderzoekt-ndrangheta.html ''"Recherche onderzoekt 'Ndrangheta"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311143422/http://nos.nl/artikel/349969-recherche-onderzoekt-ndrangheta.html |date=11 March 2012 }}, ''[[Nederlandse Omroep Stichting|NOS]]'', 10 March 2012.</ref>

===Malta===
David Gonzi, a son of former Prime Minister of Malta [[Lawrence Gonzi]], was accused of illegal activities by acting as a trustee shareholder in a gaming company. The company in question was operated by a Calabrian associate of the 'Ndrangheta in Malta. His name appeared several times on an investigation document of over 750 pages that was commissioned by the tribunal of the [[Reggio Calabria]]. Gonzi called the document unprofessional. A [[European arrest warrant]] was published for Gonzi to appear at the tribunal but this never materialised. Gonzi, however, was completely exonerated from the list of potential suspects in the 'Ndrangheta gaming bust.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lawyer, consultant exonerated from list of potential suspects in 'Ndrangheta gaming bust|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-06-08/local-news/Lawyer-consultant-exonerated-from-list-of-potential-suspects-in-Ndrangheta-gaming-bust-6736159058|newspaper=The Malta Independent|date=8 June 2016|access-date=8 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609120055/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-06-08/local-news/Lawyer-consultant-exonerated-from-list-of-potential-suspects-in-Ndrangheta-gaming-bust-6736159058|archive-date=9 June 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After investigation of the presence of the 'Ndrangheta, 21 gaming outlets had their operation license temporarily suspended in [[Malta]] due to irregularities in a period of one year.<ref>Sansone, Kurt (29 July 2015), [http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150729/local/updated-david-gonzi-being-investigated-in-mafia-betting-probe.578438 "Updated: David Gonzi being investigated in Mafia betting probe. Insists role was limited to providing fiduciary services"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223113506/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150729/local/updated-david-gonzi-being-investigated-in-mafia-betting-probe.578438 |date=23 February 2016 }}, [[Times of Malta]].</ref><ref>Balzan, Jurden (2 August 2015), [http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/55728/david_gonzi_brushes_off_european_arrest_warrant_threat "David Gonzi brushes off European arrest warrant threat"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224060904/http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/55728/david_gonzi_brushes_off_european_arrest_warrant_threat |date=24 February 2016 }}, [[Malta Today]],</ref><ref>Orland, Kevin Schembri (10 October 2015), [http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-10-05/local-news/Ndrangheta-links-to-companies-Malta-Gaming-Authority-effective-regulator-Jose-Herrera-6736143072 "'Ndrangheta links to companies: Malta Gaming Authority 'effective regulator' – Jose Herrera"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222223903/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-10-05/local-news/Ndrangheta-links-to-companies-Malta-Gaming-Authority-effective-regulator-Jose-Herrera-6736143072 |date=22 February 2016 }}, [[The Malta Independent]].</ref>

In a Notice of the Conclusion of the Investigation dated 30 June 2016, criminal action was commenced in Italy against 113 persons originally mentioned in the investigation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ildispaccio.it/reggio-calabria/112557-ndrangheta-e-gioco-online-chiuse-indagini-per-113-nomi|title='Ndrangheta e gioco online: chiuse indagini per 113 (NOMI)|website=Il Dispaccio|access-date=14 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114141717/http://ildispaccio.it/reggio-calabria/112557-ndrangheta-e-gioco-online-chiuse-indagini-per-113-nomi|archive-date=14 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Mexico ===
According to some reports, the 'Ndrangheta works in conjunction with Mexican drug cartels in the drug trade, such as with the mercenary army known as [[Los Zetas]].<ref name="exc121008">{{in lang|es}} [http://alertaperiodistica.com.mx/los-zetas-toman-el-control-por-la-forza-nicola-gratteri.html ''"Los Zetas toman el control por la 'Forza': Nicola Gratteri"''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722223011/http://alertaperiodistica.com.mx/los-zetas-toman-el-control-por-la-forza-nicola-gratteri.html|date=22 July 2011}}, ''Excelsior'', 12 October 2008.</ref>

===Slovakia===
{{See also|Murder of Ján Kuciak}}
In February 2018, Slovak investigative journalist [[Ján Kuciak]] was shot dead at his home together with his fiancée. At the time of his murder, Kuciak was working on a report about Slovak connections with the 'Ndrangheta.<ref name="kuciak investigated">{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20769558/kuciak-investigated-links-between-politicians-and-mafia.html|title=Kuciak investigated links between politicians and mafia|date=27 February 2018|access-date=26 January 2021|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> He had previously reported on organized tax fraud involving businesspeople close to the ruling [[Smer-SD]] party.<ref name="kuciak investigated"/> On 28 February, Aktuality.sk published Kuciak's last, unfinished story.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kuciak|first1=Ján|title=Talianska mafia na Slovensku. Jej chápadlá siahajú aj do politiky|url=https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/568007/talianska-mafia-na-slovensku-jej-chapadla-siahaju-aj-do-politiky/|website=Aktuality.sk|date=27 February 2018 |access-date=1 March 2018|language=sk}}</ref> The article details the activities of Italian businessmen with ties to organised crime who have settled in eastern Slovakia, and have spent years embezzling European Union funds intended for the development of this relatively poor region, as well as their connections to high-ranking state officials, such as Viliam Jasaň, a deputy and the Secretary of the State Security Council of Slovakia, and [[Mária Trošková]], a former nude model who became Chief Adviser of Prime Minister Robert Fico. Both Jasaň and Trošková took leave of absence on the same day, stating that they would return to their positions once the investigations were concluded.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trošková and Jasaň are leaving their posts at Government's Office|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20770917/troskova-and-jasan-are-leaving-their-posts-at-governments-office.html|access-date=1 March 2018|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref>

===Switzerland===
The crime syndicate has a significant presence in Switzerland since the early 1970s but has operated there with little scrutiny due to the inconspicuous life styles of their members, the Swiss legal landscape, and solid foundations in local businesses. In the aftermath of the [[San Luca feud]] in 2007 and subsequent arrests in Italy (Operation "Crimine"), it became clear that the group had also infiltrated the economically proliferous regions of Switzerland and Southern Germany. In March 2016, Swiss law enforcement in cooperation with Italian state prosecutors arrested a total of 15 individuals, 13 in the city of [[Frauenfeld]], 2 in the canton of [[Valais]], accusing them of active membership to an organized crime syndicate also known as "Operazione Helvetica".<ref>[http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/schweiz/standard/die-ndrangheta-kann-sich-in-der-schweiz-nicht-mehr-sicher-fuehlen/story/29238487 "Die 'Ndrangheta kann sich in der Schweiz nicht mehr sicher fühlen"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806164116/http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/schweiz/standard/die-ndrangheta-kann-sich-in-der-schweiz-nicht-mehr-sicher-fuehlen/story/29238487 |date=6 August 2016 }}-Interview with A. De Bernardo- (in German). Tages Anzeiger online. Retrieved 8 August 2016.</ref>

Since 2015, the Swiss federal police has conducted undercover surveillance and recorded the group's meetings in a restaurant establishment in a small village just outside of Frauenfeld. The meetings were taking place in a relatively remote location using the now defunct entity the "Wängi Boccia Club" as its cover. According to the Italian prosecutor Antonio De Bernardo, there are several cells operating within the jurisdiction of the Swiss Federation, estimating the number of operatives per cell to about 40, and a couple of 100 in total. All of the arrested persons are Italian citizens, the two men arrested in the Valais have already been extradited to Italy, and as of August 2016, one individual arrested in Frauenfeld has been approved for extradition to Italy.<ref>[http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/schweiz/standard/schweiz-liefert-ersten-frauenfelder-mafioso-aus/story/19279372 "Schweiz liefert ersten Frauenfelder Mafioso aus"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806171353/http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/schweiz/standard/Schweiz-liefert-ersten-Frauenfelder-Mafioso-aus/story/19279372 |date=6 August 2016 }} (in German). Tages Anzeiger online. Retrieved 8 August 2016.</ref>

===United Kingdom===
In London, the Aracri and Fazzari clans are thought to be active in money laundering, catering and drug trafficking.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/unstoppable-spread-of-calabrias-ndrangheta-mafia-sees-outposts-established-in-uk-and-ireland-7876558.html|title='Unstoppable' spread of Calabria's 'ndrangheta mafia sees outposts established in UK and Ireland|work=The Independent |date=22 June 2012 |access-date=26 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227061937/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/unstoppable-spread-of-calabrias-ndrangheta-mafia-sees-outposts-established-in-uk-and-ireland-7876558.html|archive-date=27 December 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

===United States===
The earliest evidence of 'Ndrangheta activity in the U.S. points to an intimidation scheme run by the syndicate in Pennsylvania mining towns; this scheme was unearthed in 1906.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1577828120070815 "Who are the 'Ndrangheta"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914220726/https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1577828120070815 |date=14 September 2020}}, [[Reuters]], 15 August 2007.</ref> Current 'Ndrangheta activities in the United States mainly involve drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and money laundering. It is known that the 'Ndrangheta branches in North America have been associating with Italian-American organized crime. The Suraci family from Reggio Calabria has moved some of its operations to the U.S. The family was founded by Giuseppe Suraci, who has been in the United States since 1962. His younger cousin, Antonio Rogliano runs the family in Calabria.

In February 2014, both FBI and Italian Police joint operation named ''New Bridge'', intercepted the transatlantic network of U.S. and Italian crime families.<ref name="Laura Smith-Spark">{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/11/world/europe/us-italy-mafia-raids/|title=Gambino, Bonanno family members held in joint US-Italy anti-mafia raid|author=Laura Smith-Spark|author2=Hada Messia|date=11 February 2014|publisher=CNN|access-date=26 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226214532/http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/11/world/europe/us-italy-mafia-raids|archive-date=26 December 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The raid targeted the [[Gambino Crime Family|Gambino]] and [[Bonanno Crime Family|Bonanno]] families in the U.S. while in Italy, it targeted the Ursino ''{{'}}ndrina'' from Gioiosa Jonica. The defendants were charged with [[drug trafficking]], [[money laundering]] and firearms offenses, based, in part, on their participation in a transnational heroin and cocaine trafficking conspiracy involving the 'Ndrangheta.<ref name="Laura Smith-Spark" /> The operation began in 2012 when investigators detected a plan by members of the Ursino clan of the 'Ndrangheta to smuggle large amounts of drugs. An undercover agent was dispatched to [[Italy]] and was successful in infiltrating the clan. An undercover agent was also involved in the handover of 1.3&nbsp;kg of [[heroin]] in [[New York (state)|New York]] as part of the infiltration operation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2014/02/11/anti-mafia-raids-in-us-and-italy|title=Anti-mafia raids in U.S. and Italy|newspaper=Toronto Sun |date=11 February 2014 |access-date=17 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722061509/http://www.torontosun.com/2014/02/11/anti-mafia-raids-in-us-and-italy|archive-date=22 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2018, a Mafia expert wrote that "A new alliance between Bonanno associates and the Violi family ... is significant, as it suggests a growing prominence for Calabrian mafia – the 'Ndrangheta – within the New York families and in Canada". Criminologist Anna Sergi of the University of Essex added that drug trafficking was the most active pursuit in North America.<ref name="thestar.com"/>

===Uruguay===
On 24 June 2019, 'Ndrangheta leader [[Rocco Morabito (mobster, born 1966)|Rocco Morabito]], dubbed the "cocaine king of Milan", escaped from Central Prison in [[Montevideo]], together with three other inmates, "through a hole in the roof of the building". Morabito was awaiting extradition to Italy for international drug trafficking, having been arrested at a Montevideo hotel in 2017 after living in [[Punta del Este]] under a false name for 13 years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/rocco-morabito-prison-escape-mafia-italy-uruguay-ndrangheta-calabria-a8972501.html|title=Rocco Morabito: Italian mafia boss escapes prison in Uruguay|newspaper=The Independent|date=24 June 2019|access-date=24 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624183615/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/rocco-morabito-prison-escape-mafia-italy-uruguay-ndrangheta-calabria-a8972501.html|archive-date=24 June 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
Beginning in 2000, music producer {{ill|Francesco Sbano|it}} released three CD compilations of Italian mafia folk songs over a five-year period.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/oct/mafiamusic/ "Songs of the Criminal Life"], NPR, 2 October 2002. Retrieved 8 September 2009. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100210185537/http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/oct/mafiamusic/ Archived] 10 September 2009.</ref> Collectively known as ''{{ill|La musica della mafia|it}}'', these compilations consist mainly of songs written by 'Ndrangheta musicians, often sung in [[languages of Calabria|Calabrian]] and dealing with themes such as vengeance (''Sangu chiama sangu''), betrayal (''I cunfirenti''), justice within the 'Ndrangheta (''Nun c'è pirdunu''), and the ordeal of prison life (''Canto di carcerato'').<ref>{{cite web |title=La musica della Mafia |trans-title=The music of the Mafia |author=Gerd Ribbeck |url=http://www.malavita.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903234225/http://www.malavita.com/ |archive-date=3 September 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=8 September 2009 }}</ref> The 2013 book ''ZeroZeroZero'' by [[Roberto Saviano]] investigates the activities of the 'Ndrangheta in Italy. [[Stefano Sollima]] adapted the book into a 2020 [[ZeroZeroZero (TV series)|TV series of the same name]]. 

In 2023, the Italian-language TV series ''[[The Good Mothers]]'' depicting the 'Ndrangheta premiered. It was based on the novel of the same name by British author Alex Perry, and appeared in the [[73rd Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2023/01/berlinale-series-award-deadline-cooperation-world-premieres-1235223384/ |title= Berlinale Series Unveils Eight World Premieres & TV Jury|first= Jesse |last= Whittock |date=16 January 2023 |work= Deadline Hollywood |access-date=23 February 2023}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Italy}}
* [[List of 'ndrine]]
* [[List of most wanted fugitives in Italy]]
* [[List of members of the 'Ndrangheta]]
* [[Museo della ndrangheta]]
* [[Toxic waste dumping by the 'Ndrangheta]]
* [[Camorra]]
* [[Sicilian Mafia]]
* [[Sacra Corona Unita]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}

== Sources ==
* Behan, Tom (1996). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=C_xCyNEQpQQC The Camorra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105035656/https://books.google.com/books?id=C_xCyNEQpQQC |date=5 January 2023 }}'', London: Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-09987-0}}
* Dickie, John (2013). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Rd8ctqMyE3EC Mafia Republic: Italy's Criminal Curse. Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta and Camorra from 1946 to the Present] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105035656/https://books.google.com/books?id=Rd8ctqMyE3EC |date=5 January 2023 }}'', London: Hodder & Stoughton, {{ISBN|978-1444726435}}
* Gratteri, Nicola & Antonio Nicaso (2006). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=TTUWeZBiBrUC Fratelli di sangue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105035656/https://books.google.com/books?id=TTUWeZBiBrUC |date=5 January 2023 }}'', Cosenza: Pellegrini Editore, {{ISBN|88-8101-373-8}} {{in lang|it}}
* Paoli, Letizia (2003). ''[https://archive.org/details/mafiabrotherhood0000paol Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style]'', New York: Oxford University Press {{ISBN|0-19-515724-9}} ([http://www.organized-crime.de/revpao01mafiandrangheta.htm Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215127/http://www.organized-crime.de/revpao01mafiandrangheta.htm |date=27 September 2007 }} by Klaus Von Lampe) ([https://web.archive.org/web/20071026131902/https://www.ccja-acjp.ca/en/cjcr/cjcr68.html Review] by Alexandra V. Orlova)
* Truzzolillo, Fabio. "The 'Ndrangheta: the current state of historical research," ''Modern Italy'' (August 2011) 16#3 pp.&nbsp;363–383.
* Varese, Federico. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150904043556/http://www.sociology.ox.ac.uk/documents/people/materials/varesef/mafiasmigratelsr_260.pdf "How Mafias Migrate: The Case of the 'Ndrangheta in Northern Italy."] ''Law & Society Review'', June 2006.
* {{cite book
| title=The Global Mafia: The New World Order of Organized Crime
| first1=Antonio
| last1=Nicaso
| first2=Lee
| last2=Lamothe
| year=1995
| publisher=[[Macmillan of Canada]]
| url=http://www.alternatives.com:80/crime/ITALMAF.HTML
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001206014200/http://www.alternatives.com/crime/ITALMAF.HTML
| archive-date=6 December 2000
| url-status=dead
| isbn=0-7715-7311-1
| access-date=21 May 2017
}}
{{Refend}}

{{'Ndrangheta}}
{{Organized crime groups in Europe}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ndrangheta}}
[[Category:'Ndrangheta| ]]
[[Category:Calabrian society]]
[[Category:Italian Mafia]]
[[Category:Organised crime groups in Italy]]
[[Category:Organized crime groups in Argentina]]
[[Category:Organised crime groups in Australia]]
[[Category:Organised crime groups in Belgium]]
[[Category:Organized crime groups in Brazil]]
[[Category:Organized crime groups in Canada]]
[[Category:Organized crime groups in France]]
[[Category:Organised crime groups in Germany]]
[[Category:Organised crime gangs of London]]
[[Category:Organized crime groups in Mexico]]
[[Category:Organised crime groups in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Organized crime groups in Slovakia]]
[[Category:Organised crime groups in Spain]]
[[Category:Organized crime groups in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Organized crime groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Secret societies related to organized crime]]
[[Category:Transnational organized crime]]
[[Category:Mexican drug war]]