14 - Characteristics. cover art

14 - Characteristics.

14 - Characteristics.

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 Characteristics. In 2007, Italian anti-organized crime agencies estimated the 'Ndrangheta's annual revenue to be approximately €35–40 billion (equivalent to US$35–40 billion), representing roughly 3.5% of Italy's GDP. This revenue is primarily generated from illicit drug trafficking, but also from ostensibly legitimate businesses such as construction, restaurants, and supermarkets. The 'Ndrangheta is considered to exert significant control over the economy and governance of Calabria. According to a 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. 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 collaborators with the state; by the end of 2002, there were 157 Calabrian witnesses in the state witness protection program. 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. 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. 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." 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. 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. 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). 'Ndrangheta and Sicilian Cosa Nostra groups are known to engage in joint ventures in cocaine trafficking operations. 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. 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. Estimates from Eurispes (Institute of Political, Economic and Social Studies), an Italian private research institute, placed the 'Ndrangheta's business volume at approximately €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. History. In 1861, the prefect of 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 '...
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