Mafia expert Dr Anna Sergi on Carmelo Loprete’s place in the world’s most feared mafia
An international mafia expert has told how and why the late Italian came to be associated with the mega-rich crime gang the ‘Ndrangheta – the world’s most feared mafia.
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An international mafia expert says Carmelo Loprete would never have been accepted into the world’s most feared mafia because they pride themselves on “being involved in more than just drugs.”
This week a host of underworld identities descended on Adelaide this week for the funeral of the colourful Calabrian mafia-linked businessman previously accused of attempting to smuggle in one of Australia’s largest cocaine imports.
Italian-born mechanic and business owner Mr Loprete died on October 27 following a battle with cancer. He was 66.
Mr Loprete became widely known for his conspiring with three members of the Calabrian Mafia – the ‘Ndrangheta, Italy’s and Australia’s most powerful mafia, in an attempt to smuggle half a tonne of cocaine from South America to Melbourne, via Italy, between 2002 and 2004.
The drug was alleged to have a street value between $35-50m.
Charges against Mr Loprete were later dropped.
International mafia expert and criminologist Anna Sergi at the University of Essex, who grew up in the impoverished Calabria region in southern Italy says that she does not believe the man was actually part of the cashed-up, fearsome ‘Ndrangheta – also known as the Honoured Society.
The ''Ndrangheta are a secretive organised crime syndicate with a worldwide membership estimated at 10,000.
Internationally, police consider the ''Ndrangheta to be one of the world’s richest and most powerful criminal organisations.
Partnerships are their speciality – here they are known to combine to outlaw motorcycle gangs and the Chinese triad.
Internationally, their partnerships with South American drug cartels have given them control of around 70 per cent of the world’s cocaine trade with annual income estimated to be about $80 billion – larger than the GDP of Malta.
Ms Sergi said that the 'Ndrangheta pride themselves on being a diverse organisation with multiple legitimate and illegitimate sources of power and money.
She said there was no evidence Mr Loprete was involved in any other criminal activities with the organisation.
“He was a ‘Ndrangheta-connected man. Not a 'Ndrangheta man. He was a broker and he just wanted to a trafficker, which, you know, then there’s no scenario where the 'Ndrangheta just does drugs.”
“If you just do drugs in the ‘Ndrangheta, in the real ‘Ndrangheta, you are not a ‘Ndrangheta. You cannot be, because the drug trafficking is not an essential trait of the organisation, the way they make money but it’s not something they like.”
Along with drugs, an Italian think tank called the Demoskopika research institute said its showed the ''Ndrangheta make tens of billions of dollars a year in illegal garbage and toxic waste disposal.
Other parts of their business include extortion, usury, embezzlement, gambling, arms sales, prostitution, counterfeiting goods and people-smuggling.
Ms Sergi said that Mr Loprete shows “another elements which is the connection between Adelaide-based groups and Mildura-based groups.”
“Mildura still has a role, a relevant role, in the logistics of ‘Ndrangheta, in connecting Griffith, Melbourne and Adelaide.”
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