Maxi-trial in Reggio Calabria: 76 convicted for 1,098 years in prison
Seventy-six 'Ndrangheta members sentenced to over 1,000 years in custody in a maxi-trial in Reggio Calabria. The operation involved ten European and non-European countries.
'Ndrangheta maxi-trial: 76 convicted, total sentence of 1,098 years
More than 1,000 years in prison have been imposed on members of the 'Ndrangheta in one of the largest anti-mafia trials ever held in Italy. The Herald reports on the stages of an international investigation that culminated in a historic sentence before the court of Reggio Calabria.
Seventy-six defendants were found guilty of international drug trafficking and mafia-type criminal association in the so-called "maxi-trial" still ongoing in the capital of Calabria. The total sentence amounts to 1,098 years in custody, to which a fine of €440,000 is added.
Two years after the arrests
Two years ago, in May 2023, a sweeping operation coordinated across ten countries had deployed 2,700 officers in simultaneous raids, with 132 people detained. Now, two years after those arrests, the first convictions in this phase of proceedings have arrived.
The case was conducted in collaboration with authorities from Belgium, Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Romania, Slovenia, Brazil and Panama. The investigation established that the 'Ndrangheta network controlled a significant share of the illegal cocaine trade in Europe.
Eurojust: "The largest action against a mafia-type organisation"
In an official statement, Eurojust — the European Union agency that coordinates criminal judicial cooperation — defined the operation as "the largest action ever conducted against a mafia-type organisation". The agency clarified that the investigation, directed by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Reggio Calabria, shed light on a network led by several 'Ndrangheta families, with its main base in San Luca.
According to Eurojust, those under investigation were active both in cocaine trafficking on a European scale and in systematic money laundering. A further element of investigative complexity was the use, by the defendants, of the encrypted messaging platforms Encrochat and Sky ECC to manage criminal activities.
Precedent in 2023
In a parallel proceeding, already in the second half of 2023, approximately 200 affiliates of the criminal association — which counts approximately 150 clans — had been sentenced at the end of a three-year trial to a combined sentence of 2,200 years. The current maxi-trial thus represents a further chapter in a long-term judicial strategy against what Eurojust defines as "one of the most powerful criminal networks in the world".
Source: The Herald