Canada joins global bid to stop Mafia clans’ moves
‘Ndrangheta exploiting COVID-19
The RCMP is joining police around the world to build a “global early warning system” to prevent the Calabrian Mafia from exploiting the COVID-19 economic collapse to further infiltrate national economic infrastructures.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has made the need for co-operation in tackling this threat a greater priority, with the ‘ Ndrangheta modus operandi designed to thrive in today’s financial landscape of recession, liquidity crunch and mobilization of public funds,” Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organisation, said of the project.
Interpol called the ‘ Ndrangheta “the most extensive and powerful criminal organization in the world.”
‘ Ndrangheta is the name of the Mafia that formed in Italy’s southern region of Calabria before spreading to more than 30 countries. It has a long and strong presence in Canada.
Senior police officials from 11 countries met virtually Wednesday for its first meeting, including the RCMP.
Police officials shared their own countries’ experiences fighting the ‘ Ndrangheta, Interpol said. The foundational features of ‘ Ndrangheta networks around the world are the same and retain close ties to their home towns in Calabria, but the way mobsters adapt to infiltrate national economic infrastructures may differ between countries.
Canada became a powerhouse within the ‘ Ndrangheta after mobsters immigrated here in the 1950s.
Last year, an investigation in Italy revealed that ‘ Ndrangheta clans in Canada have been so successful they hold a unique place in the underworld: The clans’ board of control in the Toronto area has authority to make decisions not only about Canada’s underworld but also for the “entire ‘ Ndrangheta,” Italian authorities said.
“COVID-19, which for the whole world represents the most tragic and sudden pandemic of the modern era, could become an extraordinary opportunity for ‘ Ndrangheta, and for organized crime in general, to conquer new markets and launder money,” said Franco Gabrielli, chief of Italy’s Polizia di Stato. “We need to act immediately to anticipate the threat and counter the Mafia’s flexibility to rapidly adapt to changes and exploit new socio- economic frameworks,” he said.
Interpol’s anti-’ Ndrangheta project is mapping the cross- country flow of mob fugitives, of which there are many in Canada, with a goal of identifying and arresting people wanted for Mafia activities.
Jürgen Stock, Interpol’s secretary general, called the ‘ Ndrangheta a “very old, and very strong enemy.”
“It has repeatedly proven its skill in infiltrating political and economic environments, and a remarkable capacity for corruption,” Stock said. “The ‘ Ndrangheta is an invisible threat and a dangerous criminal business partner. This is how their cycle feeds itself across more than 30 countries. A cycle we must act to stop, now.”
The ‘ Ndrangheta is built on a confederacy of like-minded clans, each relying on family bonds. It is similar, but separate, from the better- known Mafia of Sicily, called Cosa Nostra.
“The amount of cash capital available to the ‘ Ndrangheta means they are well placed to offer assistance to large, medium and small companies which may be struggling with payments,” Interpol said in a briefing on the I- CAN project. “They can guarantee a payment or offer loans as part of their efforts to infiltrate the legitimate economy
“Families under financial distress, seasonal or undeclared workers are also prime targets for loan sharking by mafia- type organizations.”
Two RCMP officials participated in Wednesday’s meeting: Deputy Commissioner Mike Duheme, who oversees federal policing, and Chief Superintendent Michel Arcand of federal policing criminal operations.
“The RCMP is committed to working with its foreign partners in the I- CAN initiative to combat the global threat posed by the ‘ Ndrangheta criminal organization,” Duheme told National Post.
“Combating organized crime and transnational organized crime is an existing priority for the Federal Policing program within the RCMP, and the ‘ Ndrangheta is a component of this. We will continue to focus on working with our partners to impact the threat these transnational networks pose,” he said.
A photo released by Interpol shows a virtual teleconference with officials from countries most impacted by the ‘ Ndrangheta: Italy, Canada, Australia, Germany, the United States, Colombia, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Argentina and Uruguay.
I- CAN is funded by Italy’s Department of Public Security.