Major police action in the middle of the night
Italy picks up 100 'Ndrangheta: sights on the infamous Molè family
Updated Today, 11:22
Today, 10:48
in ABROAD

This is reported by Italian media, including the ANSA news agency.

The arrests took place during coordinated raids on Milan, Florence, Livorno and Reggio Calabria. Police have shared images of several raids.


Justice does not see the suspects as sweethearts. They are suspected of membership of a mafia organization, extortion, illegal possession of weapons, money laundering, tax fraud, corruption and drug trafficking.

A large amount of cocaine from South America was seized in the raids, more than a ton, according to ANSA.

Molè family
The investigation mainly dismantled the Gioia Tauro clan, a syndicate in the eponymous port city at the southern tip of Italy's 'boot', with ramifications in Lombardy and Tuscany, ANSA said. They are groups with 'a certain autonomy', but they operate in 'close synergy', according to the news agency.

The Molè family is central to the research. The well-known criminal Girolamo Molè (60) is serving several life sentences, while his father Antonio Molè is seen as a historical leader of the Gioia Tauro clan.

Fratricide
The Molé clan long operated in tandem with the Piromalli clan, creating family connections. Often they were mentioned in the same breath (Piromalli-Molè clan) and together the two families have gained an iron grip on the local economy. “The Molè family is the military branch of the Piromalli clan,” said former Italian anti-mafia committee chairman Francesco Forgione.

An argument over a contract for transport in the port escalated and Rocco Molè, brother of the grumbling Girolamo, was shot dead.

The third brother, Domenico, wanted to take revenge and kill all members of the rival Piromalli clan, but Girolamo was more careful. He wanted peaceful negotiations. "We have a hundred years of history and family ties, we can't erase that," he told his brother from prison.

The Rocco Molè murder is still shrouded in mystery. Since then, the death of a cousin of the Piromalli family has been linked to the revenge from the Molè camp. It is not entirely clear how the families are now in contact, but the relations would never have gone back to the way they were.

'Ndrangheta
The 'Ndrangheta is located in Calabria, a region in the south of Italy, but is active worldwide. The organization is considered one of the largest players in the international drug trade and consists of numerous departments that interact, often along family lines.