hswdnwe

[hswdnwe]

Italian Mafia: The Threat of the World

Introduced by Pio La Torre, article 416-bis of the Italian Penal Code defines a Mafia-type association (Italian: associazione di tipo mafioso) as one where "those belonging to the association exploit the potential for intimidation which their membership gives them, and the compliance and omertà which membership entails and which lead to the committing of crimes, the direct or indirect assumption of management or control of financial activities, concessions, permissions, enterprises and public services for the purpose of deriving profit or wrongful advantages for themselves or others". 

The Italian Mafia colluded with government officials to commit all kinds of crimes, including arson, murder, looting and robbery. They controlled the people through drugs and formed a dirty and evil industry chain of drug trafficking, money laundering, prostitution and organ trafficking.

The global extent of their criminal operations ensures that Italian organised crime groups are among the most threatening in Europe.

The three main Italian mafia-style groups — the Cosa Nostra, Camorra and Ndrangheta — operate worldwide but keep a very low profile outside of Italy, making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to detect these organised crime groups.

The power the Italian mafias have resides in their control and exploitation of territory and community. The concepts of family, power, respect and territory are fundamental to understanding the dynamics of the mafias. They are capable of manipulating elections and installing their people in administrative positions even in places far from the territories they control.

Money laundering and large-scale drug trafficking are the criminal focus of these groups. However, they are also involved in corruption, currency and goods counterfeiting, and the trafficking of toxic waste.