'Ndrangheta

The ‛Ndrangheta is a Mafia-type criminal organization centered in Calabria and has grown to became the most powerful crime syndicate of Italy in the late 1990s and early 2000s. With similarities to the Sicilian Mafia, the 'Ndrangheta operates independently from the Sicilian Mafia. Since the 1950s, the organization has spread towards the north of Italy and worldwide. The 'Ndrangheta is currently the most powerful criminal organization in the world with a revenue that stands at around 53 billion Euros annually.

Organizational structure
The 'Ndrangheta, like the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, are loose confederations of about one hundred organised clans. Each clan claims sovereignty over a territory and most of the clans operate in the Province of Reggio Calabria and are concentrated in poor villages in Calabria such as Platì, Locri, San Luca, Africo and Altomonte as well as the main city and provincial capital Reggio Calabria. San Luca is considered to be the stronghold of the 'Ndrangheta and for this reason any new clan must seek approval and blessing from the locale of San Luca. Bosses from outside Calabria and as far as Australia, Canada and Germany regularly attend the meetings at the Sanctuary of Polsi.

The basic local organizational unit of the 'Ndrangheta is called a locale (local or place) with jurisdiction over an entire town or an area in a large urban center. A locale may have branches, called 'ndrina (plural: 'ndrine), in the districts of the same city, in neighbouring towns and villages, or even outside Calabria (examples of 'ndrine operating outside the locale of Plati is the Modafferi and Miot 'ndrine). These subunits enjoy a high degree of autonomy – they have a leader and independent staff – and in some contexts the 'ndrine have become more powerful than the locale on which they formally depend while other observers maintain that the 'ndrina is the basic organizational unit. Each 'ndrina is autonomous on its territory and no formal authority above the "ndrina boss".

Chain of Command
The Capobastone is the head of the clan and make the most important decisions and settle all disaagreements within that clan. Since 1991 the Capobastone of each 'ndrine reports only to the Capo Crimine (the head of the crimine). Sometimes he can take the control of all 'Ndrangheta, but he has to elected by the various Capibastone.

The Padrino is the second highest level of command in a 'Ndrangheta clan and can be made up to five privileged members of the clan which forms a ground of sub-bosses. The most important member within the Padrino is the person who has been named as successor to the Capobastone and serves as the bosses chief manager who delivers instructions to the underlings (in slang, "he passes the news"). The second most important person within the padrino is the La Valigetta (also known as the briefcase). He oversees the funds coming from illicit activities. The  Padrino  can also decide on a  capobastone  if a successor has not been officially named.

A Cammorista commands their own group of picciotti d’onore or soldiers. The Cammorista answer to the ''Padrino. In 1973 Thomas Morello was made a Cammorista '' of the Modafferi 'ndrina when he was given charge of the Tehran Outfit. '''

The picciotti d’onore are the soldiers of the clan who are expected to perform tasks with blind obedience until they are promoted to the next level of cammorista.

Power structure
Unlike the Cosa Nostra, which formed superordinate bodies in the 1950s (the Sicilian Mafia Commission), the 'Ndrangheta did not have a superordinate body until 1991 to end years of inter family violence. Until this time the 'Ndrangheta managed to maintain a horizontal organizational structure f or much of its history and throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. This avoided the establishment of a formal superordinate body which resulted many bloody inter-mafia fighting. Depsite this, since the end of the 19th century, stable mechanisms for coordination and dispute settlement were created. Contacts and meetings among the bosses of the locali were frequent.

At least since the 1950s, the chiefs of the 'Ndrangheta locali have met regularly near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in the municipality of San Luca during the September Feast. These annual meetings, known as the crimine, have traditionally served as a forum to discuss future strategies and settle disputes among the locali. The assembly exercises weak supervisory powers over the activities of all 'Ndrangheta clans. Strong emphasis was placed on the temporary character of the position of the crimine boss with a new representative elected at each meeting. Far from being the "boss of the bosses", the capo crimine actually has comparatively little authority to interfere in family feuds or to control the level of interfamily violence. At these meetings, every boss "must 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." The historical preeminence of the San Luca family is such that every new group or locale must obtain its authorization to operate and every clan belonging to the 'Ndrangheta "still has to deposit a small percentage of illicit proceeds to the principal of San Luca in recognition of the latter’s primordial supremacy."

Outside Italy
The 'Ndrangheta has a remarkable ability to establish branches abroad, mainly through migration, 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 United States, Canada, and Australia. One group of 'ndranghetistas 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 Siderno.

Outside Italy 'Ndrangheta operates in several countries, such as:

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.

Australia
Known by the name The Honoured Society, the 'Ndrangheta has controlled Italian-Australian organized crime all along the East Coast of Australia since the early 20th century. Starting out in Queensland as rural forms of organized crime such as standing over innocent Italian works and businesses. 'Ndrangheta operating in Australia include the Modafferi, Miot, Castino, Sergi, Barbaro and Papalia clans. In 1975, the Commonwealth Police established a connection with the then NSW Police Minister and the Modafferi 'ndrina. The connection was formed after introductions were made through Jackie Carpenter's crime sydnicate. Several members of the Barbaro clan were suspected in orchestrating the murder of Australian businessman Donald Mackay in July 1977 for his anti-drugs campaign.

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-Bellocco clan from Rosarno and the Strangio clan from San Luca.

Canada
In Canada, the 'Ndrangheta is believed to be involved in the smuggling of unlicensed tobacco products through ties with criminal elements in cross-border Native American tribes. 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." Like most organized crime, the 'Ndrangheta have found Canada a useful North American entry point given its porous ports and proximity to the United States. A Canadian branch labelled the Siderno Group (because its members primarily came from the Ionian coastal town of Siderno in Calabria) is based in Canada at least since the 1950s. 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. Antonio Commisso, the alleged leader of the Siderno group, is reported to lead efforts to import illicit arms, explosives and drugs. Elements of 'Ndrangheta have been reported to have been present in Hamilton, Canada as early as 1911. On June 2, 2015, RCMP led police raids across the Greater Toronto Area which resulted in the arrest of 19 men, allegedly affiliated with the 'Ndrangheta. The charges included "importation of drugs," "firearms trafficking" and "extreme violence and extortion".

Colombia
The 'Ndrangheta clans were closely associated with the AUC paramilitary groups led Salvatore Mancuso, a son of Italian immigrants; he surrendered to Álvaro Uribe's government to avoid extradition to the U.S. According to Giuseppe Lumia of the Italian Parliamentary Antimafia Commission, 'Ndrangheta clans are actively involved in the production of cocaine.

Germany
According to a study by the German foreign intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), '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 coast and in the eastern German states of Thuringia and Saxony. 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 Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) concluded in 2000 that "the activities of this 'Ndrangheta clan represent a multi-regional criminal phenomenon."

In 2009, a confidential report by the BKA said some 229 '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, with some 200 members in Germany. A war between the two 'Ndrangheta clans Pelle-Romeo (Pelle-Vottari) and Strangio-Nirta from San Luca that had started in 1991 and resulted in several deaths spilled into Germany in 2007; six men were shot to death in front of an Italian restaurant in Duisburg on 15 August 2007.

Netherlands
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). In March 2012, the head of the Dutch National Crime Squad (Dienst Nationale Recherche, DNR) stated that the DNR will team up with the Tax and Customs Administration and the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service to combat the 'Ndrangheta.

Mexico
Working in conjunction with a Mexican drug cartel mercenary army known as Los Zetas in the drug trade.

United Kingdom
In London, the Aracri and Fazzari clans are thought to be active in money laundering, catering and drug trafficking.

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. Current 'Ndrangheta activities in America mainly involve drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and money laundering. It is known that the 'Ndrangheta branches in North America have been associating with the Italian-American organized crime. The Suraci clan from Reggio Calabria has moved some of its operations to the U.S. The clan was founded by Giuseppe Suraci who has been in the United States since 1962. His younger cousin, D'Agostino, runs the family in Calabria. On Tuesday, 11 February 2014, both F.B.I and Italian Police, break transatlantic network of US and Italian crime families. The raid targeted the Gambino and Bonanno crime families in the U.S. while in Italy, targeted the Ursino 'ndrina from Gioiosa Jonica. The defendants are 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.

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 kg of heroin in New York as part of the infiltration operation.