‘NDRANGHETA AND COCAINE TRAFFICKING: POSITIONING OF DRUG TRAFFICKERS IN A MAFIA-TYPE ORGANIZATION

This paper analyzes two criminal networks within the ‘Ndrangheta, a mafia-type criminal organization from Calabria (Southern Italy). The study conducted multiple analyses on the two groups, namely task analysis, status analysis and network analysis. Results show that the two groups have similar structures with minor differences. In particular, they both were particularly well-organized and structured, confirming the typical features of the ‘Ndrangheta as a mafia-type organization. Most contacts and activities in the two groups were in the hands of a small number of individuals. Interestingly, subjects with a high status were not the network’s most central nodes. This would indicate that the most active individuals in drug trafficking are not the bosses, but other, replaceable players. These findings suggest that studies proposing to focus law enforcement efforts against the most central nodes of criminal networks may actually miss the important targets.