Italian mafia on its knees, historic verdict for 70 Ndrangheta members

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Italian judiciary has dealt a heavy blow to the Ndrangheta, the most powerful mafia group in Italy, convicting 70 of its members and associates, in the largest mafia trial since the end of the 1980s.

Judge Claudio Paris read out the verdicts for the first group of 91 defendants in expedited trials behind closed doors in a specially designed courtroom in the Calabrian city of Lamezia Terme.

Judges imposed the maximum sentence of 20 years sought by prosecutors on six individuals convicted in Saturday's trials. Among them were Pasquale Gallone (62), the right-hand man of alleged Ndrangheta boss Luigi Mancuso, as well as Gregorio Niglia, who was convicted of arms trafficking and extortion, writes Deutsche Welle.

A "maxi-trial" has been underway there since January, prosecuting hundreds of people on suspicion of belonging to and cooperating with the organized crime group Ndrangheta.

In the court proceedings, which are expected to last at least two years, another 355 defendants are awaiting trial. The investigation took several years and concluded with police actions in December 2019.