More than 1,000 years of jail time have been handed down to members of Italy’s notorious ‘Ndrangheta mafia, following one of the country’s largest-ever crackdowns on organised crime.
Two years after 132 suspects were arrested in sweeping raids, dozens have now been convicted in a landmark trial targeting the Calabria-based network.
Now, 76 defendants have been found guilty of international drug trafficking and joining a mafia-style group, as the ‘maxi-trial’ continues in Reggio Calabria, Italy.
The defendants have been sentenced to a total of 1,098 years in jail, as well as having to pay a fine of 440,000 euros.
The case was executed in partnership with authorities in Belgium, Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Romania, Slovenian, Brazil and Panama; and revealed that the ‘Ndrangheta network was behind much of Europe’s illicit cocaine trade.
In May 2023, a coordinated law enforcement effort deployed 2,700 officers in raids across ten countries, cracking down on the criminal gang.
200 members of the crime family, which comprises around 150 clans, were previously sentenced in late 2023 for a total of 2,200 years after a three year trial.
A statement from Eurojust, which coordinates criminal justice efforts across the European Union, reads: “Eurojust considers this to be its largest action taken against a mafia-style organisation.
“The operation was carried out by the Italian competent judicial authority – the District Antimafia Prosecutor Office of Reggio Calabria, in close partnership with the competent authorities of Belgium, Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Rumania, Slovenian, Brazil and Panama, supported and coordinated at international level by Eurojust and Europol.
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The statement continued: “It exposed a network led by several ‘Ndrangheta families based mainly in San Luca. The case has confirmed that ’Ndrangheta members, seen as one of the most powerful criminal networks in the world, are responsible for much of Europe’s cocaine trade and were also active in systematic money laundering.
“The investigation was complex due to the criminals’ use of the encrypted messaging services Encrochat and Sky ECC to run their criminal activities, as well as the ongoing nature of the investigations, which took place both within and outside the European Union.”
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