'ndrangheta

15 Stories

Catholic Nun Accused of Working With Mafia

She allegedly passed messages to jailed mafia members in Italian prisons

(Newser) - A Catholic nun in Italy was giving inmates messages from the Mob instead of spiritual guidance, prosecutors say. Sister Anna Donelli was among 25 people arrested in raids Thursday targeting members and associates of the 'Ndrangheta mafia gang, CNN reports. The 57-year-old, who volunteered at Milan's San Vittore...

Italian Priest Had a Literal Poisoned Chalice

Officials believe he was targeted for denouncing mafia

(Newser) - A Catholic priest in southern Italy says he had a poisoned chalice—and it wasn't a figure of speech. Father Felice Palamara halted an evening mass in Vibo Valentia, Calabria, on Saturday to contact police after he noticed a strange smell coming from the chalice of wine and water...

Verdict in Mobster Trial Took Almost 2 Hours to Read

Italian court finds 207 members, associates of 'Ndrangheta crime group guilty

(Newser) - After a trial that was huge in length and significance as well as sheer size, more than 200 people connected to Italy's 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate were found guilty on Monday and sentenced to a total of more than 2,200 years in prison. Some 207 people were found...

Cops: Pizza-Maker in France Wasn't What He Seemed

Mob suspect Edgardo Greco, tied to Italy's 'ndrangheta, found after 16 years on the run

(Newser) - Police in southeastern France have arrested a convicted murderer linked to Italy's most powerful organized-crime group, the 'ndrangheta, after he eluded authorities for 16 years, Interpol and Italian police said on Thursday. Italy's ANSA news agency reported that the 63-year-old had been working for the past three...

Cops Seize Hundreds of Dormice, Ruin Mafia Banquet

Animals were found during drug raid in Italy

(Newser) - Police in Italy may have spoiled some mobsters' banquets when they raided a cannabis farm. Authorities say the Saturday raid in southern Italy found dormice in cages and more than 200 that had been frozen and packaged for sale or consumption, the BBC reports. The animals, a protected species in...

Alleged Mobster Covered His Face on YouTube Videos, Forgot His Tattoos

Tats were visible on cooking show of alleged 'Ndrangheta gangster from Italy, hiding in DR

(Newser) - Come for the pasta making, stay for the arrest. Since 2014, Marc Feren Claude Biart, a purported member of Italy's infamous 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate, has been on the run from authorities in his home country after allegedly taking part in a Dutch cocaine trafficking operation. The BBC reports...

Italy Launches Biggest Mob Trial Since 1980s
Massive Mafia Trial Is
'One for the History Books'
THE RUNDOWN
Jan 13, 2021 12:35 PM CST

Massive Mafia Trial Is 'One for the History Books'

More than 300 alleged 'Ndrangheta members are on trial in Calabria, Italy

(Newser) - It's the biggest Mafia trial Italy has seen in decades—with the added challenge of COVID-19 precautions. The "maxi-trial" of hundreds of members of the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate began Wednesday in a fortified 1,000-capacity courtroom in Calabria, the heart of the group's territory, the Guardian...

Fugitive 'Cocaine King' Finally Messes Up After 23 Years

He now faces 30-year sentence in Italy

(Newser) - A fugitive Italian crime boss is in custody after 23 years on the run following what seems to have been a major slip-up: Authorities in Uruguay say 50-year-old Rocco Morabito, once known as the "cocaine king of Milan," was found after he used his real name to enroll...

Fugitive Mob Boss Found Hiding at Home

Italian crime boss had been on the run 5 years

(Newser) - One of Italy's most-wanted fugitive mob bosses was arrested after five years on the lam Wednesday when police found him hiding in a home bunker built between the bathroom and his son's bedroom. Antonio Pelle, 54, crawled out of his hiding place on his stomach to the top...

After 20-Year Hunt, Italy Busts Mobster in Bed

Ernesto Fazzalari 'went from his sleep to handcuffs'

(Newser) - Italy's second most sought-after fugitive, a convicted, ruthless 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate boss, was captured Sunday as he slept in his bed in a hideout in the rugged Calabrian mountains, reports the AP . Ernesto Fazzalari "went from his sleep to the handcuffs of the Carabinieri" paramilitary police after...

Italian Cops Decipher Mafia Code on Initiation Rite

You'll need 5 people to do it right

(Newser) - "For the baptism, five people are needed—no more and no less," reads the coded instructions. But this "baptism" isn't the usual sort: It's for new members of the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate in Italy, reports the Telegraph . Police discovered the instructions during a murder...

Italian Mafia's New Target: Pope Francis?

Mobsters 'nervous and agitated' by pontiff's anti-corruption stance, prosecutor says

(Newser) - Pope Francis' anti-corruption stance could put him at risk from "the most dangerous, most unified, and most difficult to penetrate" mafia clan in Italy, an Italian prosecutor tells the Washington Post . As "Pope Francis is dismantling centers of economic power in the Vatican," mobsters are "nervous...

Italy Fires City's Entire Council Over Mafia Ties

Reggio Calabria will be run by 3 commissioners until elections

(Newser) - Reggio Calabria has really cleaned house: The entire government—meaning the mayor and all 30 council members—have been fired in the southern Italy city after some were suspected of having mafia ties. Officials say that's a first for a provincial capital, although smaller cities have seen the same...

Alleged Mafioso Gets Nipped, Tucked, Busted

Italian cops nab vain fugitive after he undergoes liposuction

(Newser) - If Domenico Magnoli had been in better shape, he might still be a free man today. Italian police nabbed the 27-year-old alleged Mafia member yesterday as he was coming out of anesthesia after having liposuction, ANSA reports. Magnoli had been on the lam for over a year, dodging French drug-trafficking...

Italian Syndicate Quietly Rules Europe's Cocaine Trade

US market tumbles as mobsters flourish

(Newser) - Europe is gaining a foothold in the world’s cocaine trade, elbowing out the US as the largest market thanks to the bravado of one Italian crime syndicate. The ‘Ndrangheta mafia, based in the hills of southern Italy, has won prominence by dealing directly with Colombian kingpins and shunning...

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