One of the Caribbean’s most geographically diverse countries is the Dominican Republic. The island’s accessibility to all of North America’s major ports is one of its main features. A fact not lost on international drug traffickers. The island, commonly referred to as D.R., also serves as a tactical hub for…...
'Ndrangheta
Morphing Mafia
Mimic Octopus: a species of octopus with the ability to impersonate a wide variety of marine animals. In similar fashion to the mimic octopus, the mafia is a constantly evolving organization. During the 1960s, the ‘ndrangheta kidnapped approximately 649 people. They held the majority of victims in Aspromonte, a mountainous…...
Number One Mafia
And what is the greatest number? Number one. David Hume ‘Ndrangheta Italy’s Sicilian mafia has dominated the country’s underworld for decades. The ‘ndrangheta, which operates from Calabria’s southern region, managed to overshadow its notorious counterpart. Unlike the Sicilian mafia, blood relations are the glue that binds the organization together. Of…...
200 ‘Ndrangheta Convictions
Approach the enemy with the attitude of defeating him without delay Miyamato Musashi Maxi-Trial Following a three-year legal process that saw 416 members and associates of the ‘ndrangheta arrested in December 2019, over two hundred defendants were found guilty and given a combined sentence of 2,100 years. For Italian magistrates…...
Deadly Love
Love can blind a person to the point of continuing to chase it, fully aware things will not end well. Anonymous The birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and paradise to art lovers is Florence, Italy. Its numerous museums highlight the works of such artists as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo,…...
Latest ‘Ndrangheta Sweep
In the early morning hours of June 27, 2023, a major operation took place aimed at the Calabrian mafia, the ‘ndrangheta. The Carabinieri del Ros arrested 43 people with warrants issued by the Catanzaro Anti-mafia District Directorate (DDA) and more specifically, at the direction of Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri. The arrests…...
Black Friday Massacre
“There is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre.” – Kurt Vonnegut Taurianova In life, naturally, we become accustomed to certain things. The customs of Taurianova, a municipality in Reggio Calabria, can range from the sweet nougat called torrone, to the atrocities of ‘ndrangheta. And in terms of atrocities, the…...
‘Ndrangheta Kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III
“If you can count your money, you don’t have a billion dollars”-J Paul Getty The Getty family J. Paul Getty founded the Getty Oil Company in 1942 and by 1966, the Guinness Book of Records ranked him the world’s richest private American citizen. Even though Getty’s wealth was above $1…...
The Good Mothers
“They’ll talk about me when I’m gone”- Lea Garofalo (April 24, 1974- November 24, 2009) On April 5, 2023, The Good Mothers, a series, will debut on Disney and Hulu. The show is based on a book of the same name written by a U.K based journalist named Alex Perry…....
The 4th Mafia
When one thinks of the mafia in Italy, three familiar names come to mind: the camorra of Naples, Calabria’s ‘ndrangheta, and Sicilian cosa nostra. Needless to say, there is a rising concern of a fourth mafia rearing its head. Puglia Italy’s Southernmost region, Apulia (Puglia) is well-known for its whitewashed…...