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Drug Trafficking and Investments

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'Ndrangheta

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Abstract

This chapter looks at the main revenue of the ‘ndrangheta—that is, drug trafficking. It describes the main judicial operations that have tracked the presence of ‘ndrangheta members and brokers around the world. After describing the way the clans have entered drug markets since the 1970s, the focus shall be on the most contemporary Antimafia investigations. These investigations are crucial to understand not only the changing structure of the clans, but also their reach. This chapter will argue that the drug trade is profoundly linked to the control of the territory in Calabria and in particular of the port of Gioia Tauro. Finally, this chapter will look at the management of proceeds of crime by the clans, especially focusing on investigations on money laundering.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Albeit established by Constitution in 1947, the first regional elections with the effective establishment of regions in Italy only happened in 1970.

  2. 2.

    Operation Olimpia, No. 104/95 R.G.N.R. DDA + No. 85/96 R.G. G.I.P. DDA, Court of Assizes No. 15/98 R.G., sentence No.3/2001 R.G.

  3. 3.

    Operation Decollo I, No. 1779-6541/2001 + 3164/2002 + 1429/2003 R.G.N.R. DDA + No. 2523-8748/2001 + 2085-2086/2003 R.G. GIP.

  4. 4.

    Operation Decollo I, No. 1779-6541/2001 + 3164/2002 + 1429/2003 R.G.N.R. DDA + No. 2523-8748/2001 + 2085-2086/2003 R.G. GIP, p. 33.

  5. 5.

    Operation Decollo I, No. 1779-6541/2001 + 3164/2002 + 1429/2003 R.G.N.R. DDA + No. 2523-8748/2001 + 2085-2086/2003 R.G. GIP, p. 402.

  6. 6.

    Interview in Reggio Calabria, DDA Procura della Repubblica, 16 December 2015, translated from Italian.

  7. 7.

    “Seven Sisters” was a term coined in the 1950s by Enrico Mattei, then head of the Italian state oil company Eni, to describe the seven oil companies that formed the “Consortium for Iran” cartel and dominated the global petroleum industry from the mid-1940s to the 1970s.

  8. 8.

    Operation New Bridge, No. 3273/12 R.G.N.R. DDA.

  9. 9.

    Operation Buongustaio, No. 8354/2010 R.G.N.R. DDA + No. 5084/2011 R.G. GIP.

  10. 10.

    US District Court E.D.N.Y. F. #2014R00552.

  11. 11.

    Operation Columbus II, No. 2082/2014 R.G.N.R. DDA.

  12. 12.

    Operation Solares II, No. 611/2008 R.G.N.R. DDA.

  13. 13.

    Operation All Inside, No. 4302/06 R.G.N.R. DDA.

  14. 14.

    Operation All Inside, No. 4302/06 R.G.N.R. DDA, p. 528.

  15. 15.

    Operation Buongustaio, No. 8354/2010 R.G.N.R. DDA + No. 5084/2011 R.G. GIP + No. 11/2014 R.G.N.R. DDA.

  16. 16.

    Operation All Inside, No. 4302/06 R.G.N.R. DDA.

  17. 17.

    Operation All Inside, No. 4302/06 R.G.N.R. DDA.

  18. 18.

    Operation All Clean, No. 9762/11 R.G.N.R. DDA + No. 4302/06 R.G.N.R. DDA, p. 612.

  19. 19.

    Operation New Bridge, No. 3273/12 R.G.N.R. DDA, p. 57.

  20. 20.

    Operation Buongustaio, No. 8354/2010 R.G.N.R. DDA, p. 272.

  21. 21.

    Operation Metropolis, No. 3369/2008 R.G.N.R. DDA.

  22. 22.

    Operation Gambling, No. 7497/14 R.G.R.N. DDA.

  23. 23.

    Operation Gambling, No. 7497/14 R.G.R.N. DDA, p. 46.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

    Anna Sergi

  2. University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    Anita Lavorgna

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  1. Anna Sergi
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  2. Anita Lavorgna
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Sergi, A., Lavorgna, A. (2016). Drug Trafficking and Investments. In: 'Ndrangheta. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32585-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32585-9_5

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32584-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32585-9

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