I think the comparison is ridiculous. The drug cartels are based in what are virtually narco states, 3rd-world nations as far as I'm concerned. The Mafia did what they did in 1st-world, NATO countries. To me that's far more impressive. What do you guys think? I bring this up because the comparison is very often made. Now, I do realize that the cartels are global powerhouses, but their power still stems from the narco states where cocaine grows naturally.

Exactly Liggio! Even at its peak of power and violence the Sicilian Mafia didbt what cartels makes in a year!
People's dead bodyes hunged to the bridges to send a warning to other cartels,enemies tortured to dead iand the videos posted on social network ecc.

I would say that the main activity of the Mafia is extortion, even if involved in other fields, while the main activity of the Cartels is drug trafficking, even if they have recently also been involved in other fields; of course the level of violence of the Cartels is staggering, but they couldn't do it in a first world country

Let us not even mention the fact that your average American thinks that today the only major players in the illegal drug industry are the Mexican drug cartels. They never even heard of the Ndrangheta or Albanian syndicates.