‘Ndrangheta: most important European ally of Latin American drug traffickers 

The reach of the Italian ‘Ndrangheta mafia extends throughout Central and South America, and the criminal organization, among the most powerful in the world, has become one of the main European allies of Latin American drug traffickers.

According to a recent report by InSight Crime, an organization dedicated to studying organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean, this structure promotes the continuity of illegal activities.

“The decentralized operations of the ‘Ndrangheta give clans the flexibility to adapt to the loss of heads or leaders while limiting the impact on the network as a whole,” InSight Crime said.

EUROPEAN HAVENS

The ‘Ndrangheta has used the Italian port of Gioia Tauro as a gateway for cocaine into Europe since the 1990s.

But in recent years, Gioia Tauro has become less important as a hub for trafficking legal and illegal goods, and drug traffickers are turning to Europe’s largest ports, such as Antwerp and Rotterdam.

“In 2021, Belgian and Dutch authorities seized 89 and 70 tonnes of cocaine, respectively, in these two ports, far more than the 13 tonnes seized in Gioia Tauro,” according to InSight Crime.

CARTELS AND PARAMILITARIES

Sergi said the ‘Ndrangheta had been linked to numerous criminal groups in Latin America in recent years.

These include the Colombian paramilitary group Los Urabeños, better known as the Clan del Golfo, factions of the Brazilian First Capital Command (PCC), as well as criminal groups such as the Cali and Medellín cartels, Los Zetas of Mexico, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

According to InSight Crime, some members of the ‘Ndrangheta have been arrested for drug trafficking in virtually every country in Latin America.

Given the increasing presence of the ‘Ndrangheta in Latin America, local and regional authorities have increased their efforts to combat this transnational criminal organization.

On October 26, 2022, for example, members of the Argentine Federal Police (PFA) arrested Carmine Alfonso Maiorano, an Italian citizen accused of being a leader of the ‘Ndrangheta.

“He is being investigated for being a suspected link between the mafia and its drug operations in Latin America,” the Argentine news site Infobae reported.

After months of intelligence and surveillance work, the PFA’s anti-mafia department arrested Maiorano at a house in Guernica, Buenos Aires province.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian Federal Police (PF) arrested another member of the ‘Ndrangheta in Goiás state in August 2022.

The man, whose name was not released, is accused of shipping cocaine from a port in Brazil’s Espírito Santo state to Italy, hidden in granite blocks.

“It concerns a criminal known to European authorities, an Italian and a member of the dreaded ‘Ndrangheta, a mafia organization that controls much of the cocaine trafficking to Europe,” the PF said in a statement.

The arrest was possible thanks to cooperation between PF agents and the Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s financial police.

“The investigation began with information from Italy after the seizure of 338 kilograms of cocaine in the port of La Spezia in December 2020 and the arrest in the act of four people – a Brazilian, an Italian, and two Albanians,” CNN Brazil reported.

COOPERATION WITH INTERPOL

Cooperation between Latin American authorities and INTERPOL has been fundamental in combating the ‘Ndrangheta in the region.

For example, in July 2022, Italian Rocco Morabito was extradited from Brazil to Italy by Italian agents of INTERPOL’s cooperation against the ‘Ndrangheta.

“Morabito is considered one of the top brokers internationally and one of the most wanted fugitives in the world, according to the Italian Ministry of Interior,” INTERPOL said in a statement.

“The extradition results from intense cooperation between INTERPOL’s national central offices in Brazil and Italy.”

“The extradition of Rocco Morabito sends a strong message: however strong the criminal network of mafia groups may be, our global police network is stronger,” said Giovanni Bombardieri, chief prosecutor of the Antimafia Prosecutor’s Office of Reggio Calabria, a city in Italy.