Above the town of San Luca is the shrine of Our Lady of Polsi, the spiritual focus of an organisation that leans heavily on religious symbolism - among the ranks to which its mobsters can aspire are those of 'saint' and 'evangelist'. According to evidence presented during mob trials, 'Ndrangheta bosses gathered here every Sept. 2 to 'baptize' new members, discuss strategies and pray. The town of San Luca, South of Italy on February 2014 is the cradle and the epicenter of the 'Ndrangheta , the calabrian mafia. San Luca, called the 'mother of the 'Ndrangheta' has a population of just over 4,000.
Image details
Contributor:
Abaca Press / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
2DWADC3File size:
30.5 MB (1.6 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
2658 x 4017 px | 22.5 x 34 cm | 8.9 x 13.4 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
27 June 2014Photographer:
ABACAPRESSMore information:
This image could have imperfections as it’s either historical or reportage.
Above the town of San Luca is the shrine of Our Lady of Polsi, the spiritual focus of an organisation that leans heavily on religious symbolism - among the ranks to which its mobsters can aspire are those of 'saint' and 'evangelist'. According to evidence presented during mob trials, 'Ndrangheta bosses gathered here every Sept. 2 to 'baptize' new members, discuss strategies and pray. The town of San Luca, South of Italy on February 2014 is the cradle and the epicenter of the 'Ndrangheta , the calabrian mafia. San Luca, called the 'mother of the 'Ndrangheta' has a population of just over 4, 000. It is Framed by the foothills of the Aspromonte massif in Calabria, the 'toe' of Italy. It is windswept, desolate place whose streets are filled with widows dressed in black. San Luca is home to two clans embroiled in a feud leading to the killings in Duisburg, Germany in 1987. Six men died in hail of bullets outside a pizzeria run by Calabrians. The 'Ndrangheta, is now widely regarded by police and prosecutors as Italy's wealthiest and deadliest crime syndicate - more so even than its better-known Sicilian equivalent, Cosa Nostra. To a greater extent, moreover, the 'Ndrangheta has managed to spread its tentacles across the world - to Australia, Canada and Germany.The reach of the 'Ndrangheta is vast, extending not only the length of Italy and throughout most of Europe, but as far afield as the cocaine cartels of Colombia and outposts in Australia and the United States. Moreover, it is corrupting Italy's political institutions. A 2013 study estimated the 'Ndrangheta has an annual turnover of 53 billions Euros. Today, there are an estimated 75 to 150 clans with 10, 000 'made men, ' who typically recruit blood relations. 'The 'Ndrangheta has a family structure, ' explains Nicola Gratteri, the senior magistrate in Calabria who has fought the 'Ndrangheta since 1991. 'Every locali, or cell, is composed of people that belong to a family.... This is why they never collaborate with us.'