'ndrangheta

The region of Calabria on the map of Italy.

The 'Ndrangheta (a Calabrian term from the ancient Greek word: ἀνδραγαθία, andragathía, word formed by ἀνδρ, 'man', and αγαθία, 'virtue' or 'goodness', leading to 'manliness' and 'courage') is a criminal organization from Italy, whose predominant area of action is Calabria. The 'Ndrangheta has become the most powerful criminal element in Italy and Europe since the 1990s. Although sometimes incorrectly associated with the Sicilian Mafia, the 'Ndrangheta operates independently, although there are contacts between the two given the geographical proximity between Calabria and Sicily.

Features

Several Italian anti-organized crime agencies estimated in 2007 that the Ndrangheta had annual revenues of around €35-40 billion (US$50-60 billion) amounting to around 3.5% of Italy's GDP. This comes mainly from illegal drug and arms trafficking, and also from apparently legal businesses such as construction, restaurants, hotels and supermarkets.

The main difference with the Mafia (that is, with the Cosa Nostra), lies in the recruitment methods. The 'Ndrangheta recruits its members according to the criteria of blood relationship, resulting in an extraordinary cohesion within the family clan, which contributes to the difficulty in investigating this organization. Children of 'ndranghetisti are normally expected to follow in the footsteps of their parents, going through an apprenticeship process during their youth that leads to becoming picciotti onorati (young men of honor) before entering the organization as uomini d'onore (men of honor). The existence of pentiti (repentant) among the 'ndranghetisi is rare. In the course of more than a century, up to the year 2002, there were only 157 repentant among Calabrians, several of whom have been included by the Italian State in the national witness protection program in recent decades.

Prosecutions in Calabria are also hampered by the fact that Italian judges and prosecutors who score highly in exams can choose their posting and, consequently, many of these prefer to work away from peculiar and delicate matters Calabrian legal At the same time, due to the power of the 'Ndrangheta, few civilians are willing to speak out against the organization.

The 'Ndrangheta is currently the only criminal organization considered global in scope, due to its stable presence on five continents through its 'ndrine (affiliated cells or operational units), which have been detected in a large number of countries around the world. According to a 2013 Europol report, the 'Ndrangheta is the richest criminal organization globally.

Rituals

The initiation ritual is parallel to but somewhat different from that of the other Italian mafias, however, like them, it tries to clothe itself with a mythical origin and an honorable family morality to cover up its criminal context and the condition of professional criminals of the affiliates.

The «affiliation oath» or passing from one degree to another, with an antiquity of more than a century, is made in front of a revolver and a cyanide pill with the following warning: «From this moment no men judge you, you judge yourselves. If you have committed a serious offense, you yourself judge which way to go: either commit suicide with cyanide or shoot yourself with a revolver. You should always reserve a bullet from the magazine. That last bullet is for you." In the event that they were questioned by the police, they were warned to resort to omertà: «If they ask you whose children you are, you must answer: my father is the Sun and my mother is the Moon” (two common esoteric symbols in the 'Ndrangheta). The officer who takes the oath evokes religious figures such as the Archangel Michael, or does so on behalf of mythological characters from popular novels in 19th century Europe, as is the case of three hypothetical Spanish knights who, according to one of the legends from mafia mythology, they would have been custodians of the "honour" used by the three main Italian criminal associations: the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, the Neapolitan Camorra and the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta. They are three apotropaic mythological knights known by the fanciful names: Osso, Mastrosso and Carcagnosso, and occasionally replaced by the three Kings Wizards.

On the contrary, in «La Santa», which constitutes the highest level of the 'Ndrangheta, you enter by invoking real historical figures, such as Garibaldi, Mazzini and Alfonso La Marmora, Italian national heroes and former heads of Freemasonry, since the Italian mafias take a good part of their rituals from the Masonic societies. Thus, in the initiation rites, the concept of "honor" and it is warned that whoever betrays him deserves a violent punishment: «Under the light of the stars and the splendor of the Moon, I form the Holy Chain. In the name of Garibaldi, Mazzini and La Marmora, with words of humility, I form the Holy Society. I swear to deny all my past until the seventh generation, to safeguard the honor of my wise brothers. The reason for these rituals is, according to Isaia Sales, author of several books on mafias: "To imbue a strong sense of belonging to a criminal elite and at the same time stand out from common organized crime, trying to ennoble its violence and give it a social value".

In the initiation several objects loaded with great esoteric symbolism are used: a lemon, a needle (with which a puncture will be made) and a pill. The lemon symbolizes the Earth and represents the acidity of life. The prick with the needle in a finger seals the brotherhood of blood. And the pill is the poison that must be swallowed in case of failure, infamy or dishonor.

Organization

In the 'Ndrangheta there are around four hundred clans, called 'ndrine (singular 'ndrina), with a total of sixty thousands of affiliates scattered throughout Italy and in at least thirty other countries of the world. More than half of the clans come from the Province of Reggio Calabria, while the rest originate from the other provinces of the Calabria region (i.e., from the provinces of Vibo Valentia, Catanzaro, Crotona and Cosenza). Several of the most powerful families of the 'Ndrangheta are concentrated in the small villages of the mountainous area of Aspromonte (such as Platì, Locri, San Luca, Africo and Altomonte, among others), in the largest city of the region: Reggio Calabria, and in the regional capital: Catanzaro. The small town of San Luca is considered the "sacred place of the 'Ndrangheta". According to a former 'ndranghetista: "Almost all the male inhabitants of San Luca belong to the 'Ndrangheta, and the Santuario della Madonna di Polsi has been, for centuries, the meeting place of all affiliates". The heads of the 'ndrine who are outside of Calabria, some as far away as Canada and Australia, regularly attend meetings at the Polsi Sanctuary. Some of the most powerful families of the 'Ndrangheta are: Mancuso, Pelle, Vottari, Pesce, Condello, Bellocco, Nirta, Strangio, Barbaro, Acquino, Trimboli, Commisso, Piromalli, Molè, Arena, Farao and Morabito.

Power structure

For many years, the balance of power of individual families was the sole regulatory body governing the organization, with the 'ndrine remaining the true centers of power, even after pyramidal stabilization in the structure of Cosa Nostra. A pyramid-like superstructure was not established at the 'Ndrangheta until the second half of the 20th century, when it was formed as a result of renegotiations that ended decades of faide (bloody feuds) between the families.

As has already been said, the 'Ndrangheta maintained a horizontal type organization for a long time. However, thanks to the information of witnesses and the police investigation, it was possible to discover that the structure of the 'Ndrangheta has stopped being horizontal in the last decades and has become of a pyramidal type, similar to that of Cosa Nostra.. There is a boss located at the top of the organization who only helps in conflict resolution, and immediately after, on the scale of power, a decision-making structure called "La Provincia" formed by the heads of the main 'ndrine. Then there are other intermediate bodies. The organization also has a "tribunal" that resolves internal disputes. All members of the 'Ndrangheta, both those residing in Calabria and those practicing in other parts of Italy and abroad, owe allegiance to La Provincia.

Structures

• 'Ndrina
• Locale
• Mandate
• Camera di compensazione
• Crimine
• Province

Grades and functions

The grades are called Doti (singular: Dowry), and from the lowest are:

Minor Society (Società Minore):

• Picciotto
  • Picciottu di giornata
  • Picciottu di sgarro
• Camorra
  • Camorrista semplice
  • Camorrista di fibbia
  • Camorrista di sgarro
  • Freedom and vincolato
• Sgarro
  • Sgarrista di sangue
  • Sgarrista definitive

Major Society (Società Maggiore):

• Santa
  • Vangelo
  • Quartino
  • Trequartino
  • Godfather
  • Crociata
  • Stella.
• Mammasantissima
  • Infinite
  • Ugolino

While the following are the functions within a locale (organization of an area with more 'ndrinas):

• Picciotto
• Mastro di Giornata
• Contabile
• Capo crimine
• Local layer

Activity

According to the DIA (Direzione Investigativa Antimafia, Italian Police Department against organized crime) and the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Financial, Anti-Narcotics and Customs Police), the "'Ndrangheta is currently one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world.' Its economic activities include international cocaine and arms trafficking, with Italian investigators estimating that around 80% of European cocaine passes through the Calabrian port of Gioia Tauro, being controlled by the 'Ndrangheta. According to a report from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol, a good part of the cocaine imported into Europe by the 'Ndrangheta enters the continent through the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg and the Iberian Peninsula.

Other activities include money laundering through large public works contracts, hazardous waste trafficking, money laundering, and traditional crimes such as usury and extortion. The 'Ndrangheta often invest their illegal profits in legal activities such as finance or house building.

According to Eurispes (European Institute of Political, Economic and Social Studies), the turnover of the 'Ndrangheta, in 2007, was estimated at around 44,000 million EUR, approximately 2.9% of GDP Italian, a figure that has grown further in recent years, reaching EUR 55 billion in 2019.

Activity outside Italy

The 'Ndrangheta has had a remarkable ability to establish branches abroad, mainly through migration. The overlap of blood and mafia family seems to have helped the 'Ndrangheta to expand beyond its traditional territory: "The family bond has not only worked as a shield to protect secrets and increase security, but also helped to maintain the identity in the territory of origin and reproduce it in territories to which the family has emigrated". The Questura di Roma reported that the 'ndrine (cells or operational units of 'ndranghetisti affiliates) in the five continents and in at least thirty other countries around the world. For example, 'ndranghetisti were found in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, several decades ago. It is known of the arrival of members of the mafia association in Latin America, mainly in Argentina and Uruguay, in connection with Venezuela, the United States and Italy. It is also known from other families in Mexico and Peru, such as the 'ndrina Mancuso-Ansaldi. Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia are reference points for the purchase of cocaine that is later sent to Europe through different routes and stopovers, while countries with a fruitful economy (such as Panama) are a point of reference for families who invest their interests in industrial factories, shares of the main stock markets, real estate acquisition and money laundering.

On the night of August 14-15, 2007, six people affiliated with one of the two most influential clans in the town of San Luca, in Calabria, were murdered in Duisburg (Germany). It is presumed that it was a settling of scores, since one of those murdered had allegedly participated in the murder of the wife of the head of the rival clan.

On May 10, 2009, Salvatore Coluccio was arrested, in Roccella Ionica, (Calabria). He was considered one of the biggest bosses of the 'Ndrangheta.

On Monday, April 26, 2010, Italian police arrested Giovanni Tegano, head of one of the most important 'Ndrangheta clans. Tegano, a fugitive since 1993, was included in the list of the 30 most wanted criminals in Italy. He was arrested near Reggio Calabria on Monday night, multiple news agencies reported. Tegano had been sentenced in absentia to life in prison for murder, criminal association and arms trafficking.

On July 13, 2010, following a massive police operation, the then supreme boss of the 'Ndrangheta, Domenico Oppedisano, was arrested. Along with him, more than three hundred people were brought to justice.

In July 2010, the operation "Tamanaco" was dismantled in Venezuela, which bears the name of the hotel where meetings were held between the 'Ndrangheta bosses, Colombian drug traffickers and the intermediary Vittorio Belgiovane, who was a reference for the Sicilian mobsters (Cosa Nostra) present in the Venezuelan territory.

In November 2011, the location of the 'ndrina Mancuso in Argentina was found. The power of this 'ndrina is commanded by the great-grandson of an 'Ndrangheta'capo (age is estimated between 30 to 35 years), without knowing his true name (since he is very adept at remaining anonymous), which financed arms and drugs to Sicily and Calabria.

On April 26, 2013, a coordinated action between the Italian and Colombian police and Interpol led to the arrest in Medellín (Colombia) of drug trafficker Domenico Trimboli (known as "Pasquale"), one of the most wanted mobsters of the Calabrian 'ndrangheta, sentenced to more than twelve years in prison for drug trafficking. Trimboli, 59, is accused of being one of the most active and dangerous members of the Colombian cartels and of being responsible for sending huge amounts of drugs to Europe from Latin America.