Even people who have never been to Italy have probably heard of Italy’s infamous mafia organised crime groups.  Just how powerful are Italy’s mafia groups today?

Groups? Yes, groups.  There are several.

When I came to Italy a good few years ago, I had heard of the mafia, but thought it was one organisation centred in Sicily.  It was seeing the Godfather films which probably implanted this impression in me.

Before setting foot in Italy, I was aware the mafia was quitea  strong criminal organisation, and that it corrupted politicians too.  However, I did not really think the mafia was much more than a localised bunch of hoodlums.

Then I came to Italy, and discovered that I was wrong.  I came across a mafia bar in Milan, and ex-mafia members walking the streets of the same city.  I even witnessed what I suspect may have been a mafia soldier picking up weekly protection money – not while I was on holiday in the south of Italy, but up here in Milan.

In my mind the mafia went from being Hollywood fiction to solid reality.  I also found out that there was not one mafia, but there were several.

What follows is a list of all the mafia groups which afflict Italy.  Why write about this age old Italian problem?  Well, it does look as if this age old Italian sickness is being eradicated.

Cosa nostra – Sicily – Battered

Once Italy’s number one mafia, at least by reputation, the power of the cosa nostra mafia is being eroded in Sicily.

A campaign against the payment of the pizzo protection fee, which was a major source of income for the Sicilian mafia, does appear to have been successful.

Then there has been the arrest of suspected mafia bosses Bernardo Provenzano, Totò Riina and Leoluca Bagarella which may well have irreparably damaged the capability of the Cosa Nostra to organise itself.

The Italian authorities seem to consider that the activity of Cosa Nostra is becoming controllable.

Camorra – Naples and Campania region – Dented

In terms of power, the camorra may have been second to Sicily’s cosa nostra.  Lot’s of supposition in this post, I know, but then it’s not easy to find concrete statistics relating to the mafia. It is not known for keeping records.

After all the publicity writer Roberto Saviano’s Gomorrah book attracted, there seemed to be more reports about the arresst of senior camorra bosses in Italy’s media.

The camorra is still operational apparently, but it appears to have been dented by the activities of Italy’s law enforcement bodies.

The ‘ndrangheta- Calabria – Relatively Healthy

In terms of power and activities, the ‘ndrangheta seemed to play second or third fiddle to Sicily’s cosa nostra.  After various crack downs, the camorra came to be regarded as being more powerful than the Sicilian mafia.  However some Italians believe that the camorra has never been as powerful or as influential as Calabria’s ‘ndrangheta mafia.

There is a difference between the way in which the camorra and the ‘ndrangheta operate.  That difference is that while the camorra seems to do its thing in and around Naples, it has not really ventured far into the north of Italy.  On the other hand, the ‘ndrangheta has not been afraid of stretching its legs and moving further north in search of new markets.

Rumours that the ‘ndrangheta are very interested in becoming involved in the construction of buildings in Milan in connection with the 2015 Expo are legion here in Milan.

Like its Neapolitan counterpart the camorra, the ‘ndrangheta knows that huge amounts of money can be siphoned off construction contracts, and that such contracts offer prime opportunities for money laundering too.

As you will now be aware, there are three main mafias in Italy – Cosa Nostra from Sicily, the Camorra from Naples, and the ‘ndrangheta who occupy Italy’s toe -which is otherwise known as Calabria.

Then there are the two others:

Other Mafia Organisations in Italy

Sacra Corona Unita, (SCU) or United Sacred Crown – Apulia

Occasionally news of SCU activities makes it into national news, but generally not much seems to be written about this relatively low key Italian mafia organisation.  Its operations generally do not reach beyond the Apulia region of Italy.

The Wikipedia entry on the SCU indicates that this mafia had its power seriously reduced in the Apulia region of Italy after the Italian army was sent in to curb illegal immigration back in 1995.

As a result of military intervention, the SCU was effectively decapitated and although it still exists, it is no longer effectively coordinated.

Stidda – Sicily

Much smaller than cosa nostra, the stidda seems to limit its business to certain areas of Sicily, such as Agrigento.  Not much is written about stidda activities at a national level in Italy.

The Stidda began as a spin-off of the Cosa Nostra.

Bye, Bye Mafia?

The official line is that all flavours of the mafia but the ‘ndrangheta have been diluted.

At a popular level though, Italians do not really believe that the mafia -in any of its forms- has been beaten.  And they are not sure it ever will be.

Sources:

Wikipedia – Italian and English entries on mafia.

Further reading: The Pizzo – BlogfromItaly.com

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