"Brothers Of the Mafia"

The Calabrian 'Ndrangheta (from the Greek word andragathía for heroism and virtue), is one of the most powerful and ruthless Mafia organizations in Italy. It is not as famous as the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and has remained more rural compared to the Neapolitan Camorra and the ApulianSacra corona unita. Though commonly lumped together with the Sicilian Mafia, the 'Ndrangheta operate completely independently from the Sicilians, though there is contact between the two due to the geographical closeness of Calabria and Sicily. One group of 'ndranghetistas to have been discovered outside of Italy was in Ontario, Canada several decades ago. They were dubbed the Siderno Group by Canadian judges as most of its members hailed from Siderno.^[1] Italian anti-organized crime agencies estimate that the 'Ndrangheta rakes in about $30 billion annually, mostly from illegal narcotics, but also from ostensibly legal businesses such as construction, restaurants and supermarkets. There are believed to be about 100 'Ndrangheta families in Calabria, who have become more successful than their Sicilian counterparts because their family ties are closer, their vows of silence are more strictly observed, and unlike the Sicilian Mafia in the early 1990s, they have scrupulously avoided a head-on confrontation with the Italian state.Though members of Italian organized crime are loosely referred to as mafiosi, a member of any 'ndrangheta clan is more specifically known as an 'ndrinu, and the clan itself an 'ndrina. In addition to having the advantage of blood ties, 'ndranghetistas blend well into their surroundings as they maintain humble outward appearances by not flaunting their wealth.