The
'Ndrangheta is an Italian Mafia-Cult-type organized crime syndicate based in the peninsular region of Calabria and dating back to the 18th century. It is considered one of the most powerful organized crime groups in the world.
Since the 1950s, following wide-scale emigration from Calabria, the organization has established itself worldwide. It is characterized by a horizontal structure made up of autonomous clans known as '
ndrine, based almost exclusively on blood ties. Its main activity is drug trafficking, on which it has a near monopoly in Europe, but it also deals with arms trafficking, money laundering, racketeering, extortion, loan sharking, and prostitution.
The 'Ndrangheta enjoys a privileged relationship with the main South American cartels, which consider it their most reliable European partner.