In Italy, so-called “maxi-trials”, which include scores of defendants and countless charges, are seen as the best judicial resource against the country’s various organised crime groups, of which the ‘Ndrangheta is now considered the most powerful, controlling the bulk of cocaine flowing into Europe. The trial “is a cornerstone in the building of a wall against the mafias in Italy”, anti-mob prosecutor Nicola Gratteri told the AFP news agency. Prosecutors are seeking to prove a web of crimes dating back to the 1990s, including murder, drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering and abuse of office. “If you want to open a shop, if you want to build anything, you have to go through them.” “The real strength of these mafia families is they have control of the territory and within the territory they do everything,” said Varese. More than 350 alleged members of the mafia and politicians, lawyers, businessmen and others accused of enabling them will face a judge in a huge, specially converted courtroom in the southern Calabrian town of Lamezia Terme, in the heart of ‘Ndrangheta territory.Ĭriminologist Federico Varese of Oxford University said the trial reflects the wide-reaching control of the ‘Ndrangheta, who are embedded in the community and involved in every legal and illicit activity. Italy’s largest mafia trial in more than 30 years begins Wednesday, as prosecutors hope to strike a blow to the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate, whose tentacles reach worldwide.
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