Raid on Mafia Nets 300 Arrests in Italy

Posted on Jul 13, 2010

Flickr / BruceTurner (CC-BY)

Italian authorities arrested 300 alleged Mafia members Tuesday in a nationwide crackdown involving 10 police officers for every suspect. The ’Ndrangheta Mafia may not be as famous as the Cosa Nostra, but it is estimated to do about $56 billion a year in illegal business.

Christian Science Monitor:

Italy’s Eurispes institute has estimated that the ‘Ndrangheta’s turnover from trafficking in cocaine and arms, prostitution and extortion amounts to around 44 billion euros ($56 billion) a year – the equivalent of 2.9 percent of Italy’s gross domestic product.

The strength of the mafia also relies on the collusion of corrupt police, politicians and businessmen, as numerous scandals have attested in recent years, including some involving long-serving and very close aides of [Prime Minister Silvio] Berlusconi.

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