Italy’s ’Ndrangheta Mafia has capitalized on South America’s cocaine boom to secure its role as one of the most influential drug trafficking groups in the world. Based in the southern Italian region of Calabria, this group has grown to become a multibillion-dollar enterprise with a presence that spans the globe.
In this three-part series, InSight Crime explores the ‘Ndrangheta’s role in South America’s cocaine trade.
Chapters are dedicated to how the Italian port of Gioia Tauro became a cocaine gateway for Europe, how the ‘Ndrangheta’s enduring connections with Colombian paramilitaries flooded Europe with cocaine, and how one trafficker, Rocco Morabito, exemplified the Italian group’s modus operandi in Latin America.
Investigation Chapters
The ‘Ndrangheta: Versatile Middlemen in the Cocaine Pipeline to Europe
The ‘Ndrangheta have made the Italian port of Gioia Tauro crucial to their European cocaine empire by controlling it with corruption and threats.
The ‘Ndrangheta Connection to Colombia’s Paramilitaries
A close relationship between a Colombian warlord and an Italian restaurateur would lead to Europe being flooded with cocaine by the ‘Ndrangheta.
Cocaine Brokers: The Flexible Backbone of the ’Ndrangheta Trafficking Empire
Rocco Morabito embodied the ‘Ndrangheta business model in Latin America. Read about his incredible story here.
