The 'Ndrangheta: Versatile Middlemen in the Cocaine Pipeline to Europe [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

COCAINE
/23 NOV 2022 BY DOUWE DEN HELD

The port of Gioia Tauro was buzzing with activity in December 2020. In addition to deliveries of legitimate cargo, a container from Santos, Brazil, had arrived carrying 300 kilograms of cocaine.

One of the world's most powerful criminal organizations, the 'Ndrangheta, allegedly paid a customs officer 261,000 euros to doctor the container's X-ray scans so it could pass inspection.

But that officer wasn't acting alone, according to Italian authorities. Complicit dockworkers shifted the cocaine into a second container, which was then loaded onto a truck belonging to a complicit freight company. Local coordinators ensured the smooth execution of the complex plan.

Those involved likely didn't know that Italy’s Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) would descend on Gioia Tauro less than two years later, having planting undercover officers in the port and accessed encrypted phone calls with the goal of breaking up the 'Ndrangheta's corruption ring.

More:
https://insightcrime.org/investigations/ndrangheta-versatile-middlemen-cocaine-pipeline-to-europe/