by 500YearReign » Fri Sep 20, 2019 2:42 pm
Mafia-type Italian organised crime is a clear and present threat to the European Union
(EU).
The basis of the power of the Italian Mafias resides in their control and exploitation of the
territory and of the community. The contextualised concepts of family, power, respect and
territory are fundamental to understanding the dynamics of the Mafias.
The Mafias are
capable of manipulating elections and installing their men in administrative positions even far
away from the territories they control. From that perspective, the threat they pose is
unparalleled by any other European Organised Crime Group (OCG).
Exploiting legislative
loopholes and using the services of corrupt administrators and professionals, they launder
money and manage it through front companies and straw men.
The four Italian Mafia-type
organisations – Sicilian Mafia, Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, Neapolitan Camorra and Apulian
Organised Crime – present common traits but also specific individual characteristics that need
to be appreciated.
When operating outside their territory of origin, the Mafias modify their
behaviours and modi operandi.
Cosa Nostra is the oldest, most traditional and widespread manifestation of the Sicilian Mafia.
Its international expansion has mainly been directed towards North America. In the EU its
emissaries facilitate criminal operations and money laundering. Cosa Nostra’s present strategy
of keeping a low-profile is valid both within the territories it controls and outside them. Cosa
Nostra is increasing its involvement in cocaine trafficking, often cooperating with other Mafias.
Extremely skilled Cosa Nostra money launderers manage legitimate business structures and
have infiltrated the economy of some target countries, including South Africa, Canada, USA,
Venezuela and Spain.
Other Sicilian Mafia groups not affiliated to Cosa Nostra include the Stidda and the Cursoti
and Laudani clans.
They also present a threat at an EU level because of their involvement in
violent crime, including hit-and-run armed robberies.
The ‘Ndrangheta is among the richest and most powerful organised crime groups at a global
level. It has a dominant position on the European cocaine market due to excellent relations
with the producers. The ‘Ndrangheta is trying to colonise new territories and attempts to exert
its influence over Calabrese migrant communities. It reproduces abroad perfect copies of its
operational structures, the ‘Ndrine (or Clans) and the Locali, which still fall under the supreme
authority of the Calabrian Crimine.
The ‘Ndrangheta has a hierarchical structure and has
repeatedly proven its skill in infiltrating political and economic environments and its remarkable
capacity for corruption. Through the shrewd use of its immense liquidity (of criminal origin) in
legitimate business structures it has been able to achieve a position of quasi-monopoly in
selected sectors, such as construction, real estate and transport.
The ‘Ndrangheta is mainly
present in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Canada,
the USA, Colombia and Australia.
The Camorra is for the most part a horizontal cluster of Clans and Families engaged in
constant internal strife. Their presence on the territory has a very high impact.
Unlike their
Sicilian and Calabrian counterparts, Camorra bosses tend to have a very high profile, with a
flashy lifestyle and extravagant expenses. Outside its territory the Camorra is mainly involved
in drug trafficking, cigarette smuggling, illicit waste dumping and particularly in the sale of
counterfeit products, either procured via Chinese OCGs or directly manufactured by the Clans.
It is also among the principal producers of counterfeit Euros, then sold to and placed on the
market by other OCGs.
The Camorra is present in Spain, France, the Netherlands,
Germany, Switzerland, Eastern Europe, the USA and Latin America.
Apulian Organised Crime is frequently and wrongly identified with the Sacra Corona Unita
(SCU), which is one of its components but by no means the only one. The Società Foggiana,
the Camorra Barese and the Gargano’s Mafia are other criminal clusters belonging to
Apulian Organised Crime.
Traditionally engaged in smuggling, Apulian organised criminals
evolved from trafficking cigarettes to human beings, drugs, weapons and illegal waste disposal.
Outside of Italy, Apulian Organised Crime is present mainly in the Netherlands, Germany,
Switzerland and Albania.
Mafia-type Italian organised crime is a clear and present threat to the European Union
(EU).
The basis of the power of the Italian Mafias resides in their control and exploitation of the
territory and of the community. The contextualised concepts of family, power, respect and
territory are fundamental to understanding the dynamics of the Mafias.
The Mafias are
capable of manipulating elections and installing their men in administrative positions even far
away from the territories they control. From that perspective, the threat they pose is
unparalleled by any other European Organised Crime Group (OCG).
Exploiting legislative
loopholes and using the services of corrupt administrators and professionals, they launder
money and manage it through front companies and straw men.
The four Italian Mafia-type
organisations – Sicilian Mafia, Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, Neapolitan Camorra and Apulian
Organised Crime – present common traits but also specific individual characteristics that need
to be appreciated.
When operating outside their territory of origin, the Mafias modify their
behaviours and modi operandi.
Cosa Nostra is the oldest, most traditional and widespread manifestation of the Sicilian Mafia.
Its international expansion has mainly been directed towards North America. In the EU its
emissaries facilitate criminal operations and money laundering. Cosa Nostra’s present strategy
of keeping a low-profile is valid both within the territories it controls and outside them. Cosa
Nostra is increasing its involvement in cocaine trafficking, often cooperating with other Mafias.
Extremely skilled Cosa Nostra money launderers manage legitimate business structures and
have infiltrated the economy of some target countries, including South Africa, Canada, USA,
Venezuela and Spain.
Other Sicilian Mafia groups not affiliated to Cosa Nostra include the Stidda and the Cursoti
and Laudani clans.
They also present a threat at an EU level because of their involvement in
violent crime, including hit-and-run armed robberies.
The ‘Ndrangheta is among the richest and most powerful organised crime groups at a global
level. It has a dominant position on the European cocaine market due to excellent relations
with the producers. The ‘Ndrangheta is trying to colonise new territories and attempts to exert
its influence over Calabrese migrant communities. It reproduces abroad perfect copies of its
operational structures, the ‘Ndrine (or Clans) and the Locali, which still fall under the supreme
authority of the Calabrian Crimine.
The ‘Ndrangheta has a hierarchical structure and has
repeatedly proven its skill in infiltrating political and economic environments and its remarkable
capacity for corruption. Through the shrewd use of its immense liquidity (of criminal origin) in
legitimate business structures it has been able to achieve a position of quasi-monopoly in
selected sectors, such as construction, real estate and transport.
The ‘Ndrangheta is mainly
present in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Canada,
the USA, Colombia and Australia.
The Camorra is for the most part a horizontal cluster of Clans and Families engaged in
constant internal strife. Their presence on the territory has a very high impact.
Unlike their
Sicilian and Calabrian counterparts, Camorra bosses tend to have a very high profile, with a
flashy lifestyle and extravagant expenses. Outside its territory the Camorra is mainly involved
in drug trafficking, cigarette smuggling, illicit waste dumping and particularly in the sale of
counterfeit products, either procured via Chinese OCGs or directly manufactured by the Clans.
It is also among the principal producers of counterfeit Euros, then sold to and placed on the
market by other OCGs.
The Camorra is present in Spain, France, the Netherlands,
Germany, Switzerland, Eastern Europe, the USA and Latin America.
Apulian Organised Crime is frequently and wrongly identified with the Sacra Corona Unita
(SCU), which is one of its components but by no means the only one. The Società Foggiana,
the Camorra Barese and the Gargano’s Mafia are other criminal clusters belonging to
Apulian Organised Crime.
Traditionally engaged in smuggling, Apulian organised criminals
evolved from trafficking cigarettes to human beings, drugs, weapons and illegal waste disposal.
Outside of Italy, Apulian Organised Crime is present mainly in the Netherlands, Germany,
Switzerland and Albania.