Suspected mafia face trial

Rome: A major trial of 350 suspected members of the ’Ndrangheta Mafia is set to begin today in southern Italy.

The trial, the biggest in the country in decades, is expected to take up to two years.

The ’Ndrangheta has made substantial inroads in Australia, Europe and North America, and is considered the leading smuggler of cocaine into Europe.

The trial charges include Mafia association, murder, illegal possession of weapons, drug trafficking, extortion and loansharking.