The German security authorities are aware of 770 alleged members of Italian mafia organizations.

505 of these are attributed to the Calabrian 'ndrangheta, as stated in the response of the federal government to a small request from the Greens that the FAZ has received.

It is considered the largest and most dangerous Italian mafia organization.

The 'ndrangheta is particularly well represented in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Hesse.

David Klaubert

Editor in the section “Germany and the World”.

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The Cosa Nostra has 109 members in this country, the Stidda, a split from the Sicilian Mafia, 30. In addition, the security authorities know 101 people who are alleged to belong to the Camorra, as well as 16 of the Apulian organized crime.

In 2016, the mafia organizations in this country had significantly fewer members: 550. In its answer, however, the federal government also points out that this does not necessarily mean that the Italian groups in Germany have become stronger in recent years.

One of the reasons for the increase is undoubtedly the new knowledge of the security authorities about the people resident here - be it from their own investigations or from their Italian colleagues.

"Not the end of the flagpole yet"

"The rising numbers are probably not the end of the flagpole either, and we have to do everything we can to shed light on the dark field," says Irene Mihalic, the domestic political spokeswoman for the Green parliamentary group. "We urgently need a strengthening of the criminal police work in this area as well as an effective fight against money laundering and more intensive cooperation with our European neighbors." According to the federal government, there have been nine joint investigation groups with the Italian authorities in 2020/2021.

When asked about the presence of Italian groups in East Germany, the Federal Government referred to assessments by the Italian police, which since 2016 have repeatedly highlighted the activities of the 'ndrangheta in Saxony and Thuringia. Overall, the Italian organized crime is noticeable in eastern Germany to a much lesser extent than in the west, writes the federal government.

Joint research by the MDR and the FAZ had shown in the spring that there had been extensive investigations, including by the Federal Criminal Police Office, against a suspected 'ndrangheta cell in Thuringia about 20 years ago. An investigative committee in the state parliament in Erfurt is currently trying to clarify why the procedure called "Operation Fido" was discontinued at that time. MDR and FAZ had reported a lack of competence and disputes with the authorities. A senior investigator said in retrospect: "At that time there was no objective reason to discontinue the proceedings."