Shadows of Power: How the ‘Ndrangheta Became the World’s Most Ubiquitous Crime Syndicate

Like the mythical hydra, the ‘Ndrangheta has survived and multiplied whenever it appeared that it was contained or defeated. As mythologists will tell you, the mythical hydra was a monster with multiple heads that, when someone would appear to slay or attack, would regenerate and grow more heads. This hydra-like quality of the ‘Ndrangheta has enabled it to envelop the world and spread to seven continents. It is currently the world’s most powerful, lucrative, and secretive organization.

The ‘Ndrangheta’s obscure origins are traced back to Calabria in Southern Italy or possibly Greece or Spain before that, but its presence on a global level has spread the Calabrian secret society to all the continents in the world. Its symbolic homeland and base is San Luca in Calabria, Italy, and the interconnectedness of this criminal secret society has propelled it to being the foremost drug trafficking organization in the world.

Italian organized crime has been a source of fascination because of Hollywood’s depiction of organized crime. Italian organized crime is certainly not as one-dimensional in reality and has many layers and divisions. In Italy, there are three “mafia” organizations with a hierarchical structure and vast international connections. The ‘Ndrangheta from Calabria, Camorra from Campania, and Cosa Nostra from Sicily are the three criminal organizations meeting the criteria of secret societies with deep histories, complicated structures, and governing and conflict resolution mechanisms. These three have maintained relations with each other for as long as they have all existed, and they have molded the criminal underworld in Italy.

https://intpolicydigest.org/shadows...world-s-most-ubiquitous-crime-syndicate/