The Mancuso clan faces thousands of years in prison
For years, the 'Ndrangheta was able to expand its power structures almost undisturbed. But then the investigators succeeded in making arrests and were able to charge hundreds of members of the Mancuso clan of the 'Ndrangheta. After almost three years, the verdicts are now to be handed down.
Over 300 defendants, thousands of hours of testimony, sentences totaling almost 5,000 years: Italy's biggest mafia trial in over three decades is set to come to an end on Monday with the announcement of the verdicts. For almost three years, the so-called Maxi trial in Calabria dealt with the machinations of the 'Ndrangheta; specifically the powerful Mancuso clan, its henchmen - but also its accomplices in the police, administration and politics.
The mammoth trial began in January 2021 in a huge warehouse converted into a high-security courtroom in Lamezia Terme, a city in the southern Italian region of Calabria. The prosecution is demanding a total of almost 5,000 years in prison for the 322 defendants.
The trial is directed against the Mancuso clan within the 'Ndrangheta, which holds sway in the province of Vibo Valentina. The Mancuso clan is "one of the most important families" of the 'Ndrangheta with international influence, explains mafia expert Antonio Nicaso.
The 'Ndrangheta has its roots in Calabria, but is now active in around 40 countries, including Germany. Thanks to its quasi-monopoly in the European cocaine trade, it is Italy's richest and most powerful mafia organization and has also infiltrated the state apparatus.
Separate trial for the "uncle"
At the trial in Lamezia Terme, the charges range from drug trafficking and forming a mafia organization to money laundering, extortion and attempted murder. Most of the defendants were arrested in December 2019 during coordinated night-time raids in Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Bulgaria.
The trial against 69-year-old clan leader Luigi Mancuso, known as "The Uncle", was severed last year. The public prosecutor's office is demanding 30 years in prison each for a dozen of his closest aides.
Businessmen, mayors, civil servants and high-ranking police officers are also on trial. This shows how far-reaching the influence of the 'Ndrangheta is. 67 defendants, who were originally to be tried in the maxi-trial, opted for separate summary trials.
Insight into the inner workings of the reign of terror
The mammoth trial in Lamezia Terme was possible because dozens of 'Ndrangheta members broke their oath of secrecy, the so-called Omertà, including a nephew of Luigi Mancuso. The key witnesses told the court about hiding weapons in cemeteries and drug smuggling using ambulances, and described how the 'Ndrangheta used municipal drinking water supplies for their marijuana plantations.
The witnesses also described how the 'Ndrangheta intimidates people: dead puppies, dolphin carcasses or goat heads were left on the doorsteps of their opponents, cars were set on fire and stores were vandalized. The mobsters did not shy away from beating their opponents until they were ready for hospitalization - or making them disappear without a trace.
The first maxi-trial against the Mafia in 1986 was directed against the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. In its shadow, the 'Ndrangheta had been able to expand its illegal business relatively undisturbed for decades. Today, experts estimate that the 150 or so 'Ndrangheta clans have an annual turnover of around 50 billion euros worldwide.
Police protection for prosecutors
In recent years, however, the Italian authorities have fought the 'Ndrangheta more successfully than in previous decades, thanks in part to cooperation with the international police organization Interpol. Police officers around the world have been trained to better expose and combat the activities of the Calabrian mafia.
However, the fight against the 'Ndrangheta is very dangerous. The prominent anti-mafia prosecutor involved in the Maxi trial, Nicola Gratteri, has been under police protection for more than 30 years.
The prosecution hopes that the trial in Lamezia Terme will be a demonstration of the state's power against the 'Ndrangheta octopus, which stretches its tentacles all over the world. According to mafia expert Nicaso, however, the Maxi trial is only one building block in the effective fight against organized crime.
"I don't believe that one police operation is enough to destroy the 'Ndrangheta," he says. What is also needed is an appropriate education and labour market policy as well as a change in mentality in order to remove the breeding ground for the mafia organization.
Despite the 'Ndrangheta's international influence and strong presence in countries like Germany, the Italian authorities have been making strides in combating this powerful mafia organization. For instance, Italian anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, involved in the Mancuso clan's trial, has been under police protection for over 30 years due to the dangerous nature of the fight against the 'Ndrangheta.
Following the Italian government's successful efforts in dismantling the Mancuso clan's power structures, a separate trial is underway for Luigi Mancuso, also known as "The Uncle," who leads the influential Italian Mafia group, the 'Ndrangheta in Vibo Valentina.
Source: www.ntv.de
