It has surpassed Sicily's Cosa Nostra and the Naples-based Camorra in influence thanks to its control of the cocaine trade, and is the sole mafia organisation to operate on all continents, according to anti-mafia prosecutors. The 'Ndrangheta – which derives its meaning from the Greek word for “heroism” – is made up of numerous village and family-based clans in Calabria, the rural, mountainous and under-developed “toe” of Italy's boot.ĭespite intense police attention and frequent arrests, the organisation has continued to extend its reach. The killings are linked to a long-running feud between the two families: Nirta-Strangio and Pelle-Vottari. The 'Ndrangheta, seen as the most powerful Italian mafia organization, was also involved in the notorious 2007 Duisburg shootings, where six people were killed.
