Italian prosecutor: “The ‘Ndrangheta does business around the world…it controls voting and political candidates”

Published: July 23, 2015 at 8:56am
Nicola Ciconte, one of the Italian-Australian sentenced in absentia to 25 years in prison in Italy. He escaped extradition to Italy but died a year later while on the run in Cambodia.

Nicola Ciconte, one of the Italian-Australian sentenced in absentia to 25 years in prison in Italy. He escaped extradition to Italy but died a year later while on the run in Cambodia.

Maria Vittoria De Simone, a prosecutor at the 2012 trial in absentia of Michael Calleja of Melbourne and two Italian-Australians involved in trafficking cocaine into Australia for the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, speaking to an Australian newspaper:

“We urge the Australian authorities to remember that ‘Ndrangheta … represents an enormous risk for countries far from Italy. The ‘Ndrangheta … runs the international cocaine market. It doesn’t do its business in Calabria but around the world.

“It has infiltrated all economic sectors and it controls voting and political candidates at a national and international level. I urge the Australians not to underestimate this organisation. Otherwise it will be too late.”