Mafia bust in Italy reveals horrifying extent of family ties running deep in Australia
ITALIAN police arrested Giuseppe Ferraro on Friday in a raid which dismantled a Mafia-led operation to smuggle cocaine to Australia.
ITALIAN police have carried out a series of raids to smash a Mafia-led operation to smuggle cocaine to Australia that police say godfathers have now divided into six zones for trafficking drugs, extortion and money laundering.
And such is the entrenchment of Mafia links to Australia now, authorities say the country is virtually a state of Italy and it would be impossible to ever wipe out.
Authorities have uncovered a treasure trove of intelligence related to the fearsome Calabrian-based ‘Ndrangheta mafia group and their operations in Australia including members’ infiltration of key areas to assist in their trade, including transport and politics.
EXPLORE MORE: MAFIA ‘CHIEFS’ ARRESTS IN CORLEONE
BOOK EXTRACT: EVIL LIFE: DARK RISE OF A SEEDY UNDERWORLD
The police operation last week with raids on more than a dozen homes in Calabria has seen 14 members of clans linked to ‘Ndrangheta arrested and charged with “criminal association linked to international drugs tracking”, namely to Australia and Canada, with eight refused bail and the remaining six placed under house arrest.
One of those refused bail is a police officer tasked with protection of a port but instead was allegedly providing guidance on evading controls and security of the port area for the arrival and forwarding of consignments of drugs.
The case was the culmination of five years of work by the Central Operational Service of the Italian National Police, a specialist Italian police squad from Calabria and the district’s Anti-Mafia Prosecutor’s Office and had already led to arrests in Italy and Australia.
AUSTRALIA’S MAFIA ‘ENTRENCHED’
Despite the success of arrests and uncovering intelligence on international operations through extensive listening devices, taps and surveillance, it may not assist the overall ‘Ndrangheta crime fight in Australia.
Italian police have now classed the mafia in Australia as so entrenched, they believe it would be impossible to stamp out completely with Australian police only able to make busts and arrests where they can.
“Australia is not a target nation anymore, it’s now like a state of Italy from a criminal perspective,” a senior Italian officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told News Corp Australia.
“They are entrenched in their activities and have been for a long time. They have not got an expansion strategy with your country anymore, it’s not expansion its consolidation. Australia, Canada, Belgium, United States, Germany are all countries where these crimes are being consolidated.”
‘Ndrangheta work as strictly a family-based enterprise, affiliation having to be through blood relation. It’s a very closed mafia group because of the family links.”
FAMILY EMPIRES
According to evidence gathered by authorities, the group had designated six “locales” in Australia for Calabrian-linked mafia, not necessarily by State but by powerbase for both extended family support and drug importation markets as well as large-scale construction contracts, paying of backhanders and racketeering.
Each locale has its own mob boss that reports directly to Italy. Notably Sydney, South Australia and Melbourne have their own ‘Ndrangheta locale, well entrenched with fathers handing businesses down to sons and cousins. It’s the family ties that bind Italian organised crime to Australia and its large diaspora.
“In Italy we have hundreds of state witnesses from the Camorra, quite a few from the Sicilian Mafia but we only have five or six from the ‘Ndrangheta because squealing on ‘Ndrangheta means squealing on your mum, your dad, your uncle your cousin for this reason. That’s why the threat is so high.
“To be frank to some extent you have a bigger problem than they have in Europe because in Europe the big Calabrian communities outside Italy are in Belgium, Germany and Spain but in Australia the community there is much older than say Germany because the migrants have been there, well, since the end of the 19th Century. And it’s not just drugs, but big tendering processes, real big money to be made from tenders like building a motorway in Australia and you get 1 per cent of the bid and make $10 million without pushing a gram.”
THIN BLUE LINE
Italian police still lament the loss of the Australian Federal Police presence in Italy, with the post closed in 2002 and responsibility of law enforcement liaison with the country now done by an AFP agent based in Belgrade in Serbia which also has to handle liaison with police in Russia, Croatia, all of the Balkans, Malta and Greece; 22 countries in all.
An AFP spokeswoman ruled out reopening the agency’s Italian bureau.
“The AFP office in Belgrade is able to effectively cover Italy from that location,” she said.
“It is not possible to have AFP officers in every country around the world. The AFP places its personnel strategically to reflect the most efficient approach possible.”
She would not reveal whether efforts to investigate Australian mafia links would be stepped up, saying the AFP did not comment on operational matters.
A spokesperson for Justice Minister Michael Keenan said: “The Government takes advice from our intelligence, security and law enforcement agencies who are best placed to make informed personnel decisions.”
Belonging to the Mafia is a stand-alone offence in Italy whereas in many other countries, including Australia, association with the group is not a criminal offence.
TIMELINE: DEADLY DONS DOWN UNDER
Known as “The Honoured Society”, the ‘Ndranghete has been Australia’s most powerful crime organisation since the early 20th century.
1922
According to an ASIO report, the Society began with the arrival of the ship re D’Italia in Adelaide, which carried three ‘Ndrangheta members who set up cells in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Domenico Strano established the Sydney cell, while Antonio Barbara set up in Melbourne. The Perth Don was never named.
1930
Godfather Domenico Italiano arrives in Melbourne and forms a partnership with Barbara, making Melbourne the most dominant cell.
1977
The shocking murder of politician Donald Mackay, who was a vocal anti-drugs campaigner, leads to a royal commission into organised crime that finds the ‘Ndrangheta are firmly entrenched in Australia.
1982
Drug runner Gianfranco Tizzoni is arrested and turns police informant. He says the Society has police and politicians on its payroll.
1990
Canberra boss Pasquale Barbaro becomes an informant and tells police that Rosario Gangemi is Australia’s top Godfather
2008
Gangemi dies the same year that the ‘Ndrangheta are tied to the importation to Melbourne of 15 million ecstasy pills hidden in tins of tomatoes. At the time it was the biggest ecstasy bust in the world.
Originally published as Mafia bust in Italy reveals horrifying extent of family ties running deep in Australia
‘I congratulate her’: Constance concedes after division runs red
Former state minister and Liberal candidate Andrew Constance, poised by political pundits to win the nation’s most marginal seat on Saturday, has officially conceded defeat after a Labor landslide – yet again.
Child abuse material ‘popped up’ in grandpa’s web searches
A grandfather told police child abuse material “popped up” from time to time while he was searching for “legal” pornography to treat his erectile dysfunction, a court has heard.