Drug trafficking, DCSA dossier: 'Ndrangheta is a reference point for global mafias
Luca Grossi June 15, 2023

Department of Public Safety's Central Directorate of Drug Services Releases 2022 'Annual Report'
Cosa Nostra shows signs of "persistent vitality" and a "repeated interest in drug trafficking"; the 'Ndrangheta requalifies itself as the undisputed leader of drug trafficking and "one of the most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations in the world" with a "hegemonic role" to which "other criminal networks refer for the supply of drugs to be destined for consumer markets"; the Camorra, thanks to its connections in South America and Spain, continue to "import drugs, especially hashish and cocaine"; the Apulian mafias have long since established an alliance with the Albanian mafia "in particular for the supply, deposit and the marketing of drugs".
Antonio Maggiore not only reports the figures of the seizures but also indicates the modernization of the Cartels: in the investigations described there is talk of "recourse to a system of transferring the proceeds of drug trafficking, extraneous to traditional financial circuits, based on informal clearing of money matches".
As far as communications are concerned, the document describes the increasingly massive use of "encrypted chats" and smartphones "equipped with sophisticated applications for encrypted transmission".
A "growing use of cryptographic technology emerges, a real obstacle to the development of investigations for the fight against drug trafficking and the contiguities which, in the port area, facilitate the handling of containers, in which the drug is hidden", it is observed in the report according to which "the ability to control airports, a refined risk analysis for the identification of contaminated containers, the monitoring of computerized platforms for handling containers inside the hubs, are preparing to become, in the near future , the 'red line' along which the repressive action of drug trafficking will run, in national airports and even more in the large European ports". The report stresses that it will be "necessary,
Drug trafficking therefore remains an evolving sector and represents the clearest face of the "globalization of organized crime, whose structures and structures are characterized by their transnational nature": a "world market" fed by "an ever-increasing demand, correlated to a consumer base that shows no signs of downsizing".
The best-selling drug is always cocaine "by virtue of the high profit margins, reaching an increasingly vast pool of consumers".
According to reports, the sale of cocaine has continued to grow (26.1 tons, 22.03% more than the previous year) and, based on this data, the investigators already speculate the opening of a new " Mediterranean route".
An absolutely central role is played by the national port of Gioia Tauro, in which 80.35% of the cocaine seizures carried out at the maritime border are concentrated.
Another 'hot' front is that of synthetic drugs such as, for example, 'rape drugs', methamphetamines and ecstasy: sales are increasingly carried out via the Dark Web "in ways that make it extremely difficult to identify the subjects involved and the tracking of the related payments". It must be said that the proliferation of rape drugs is an indication of a social danger that is growing as it is strongly linked to sexual crimes of various kinds.
According to data from the B2C e-Commerce Observatory, in fact, in 2021, online sales of synthetic drugs increased all over the world and show a trend of further growth in the future. In Italy, in 2022, over 630 million shipments were totaled, up 10% compared to last year.
This immense market has already attracted the attention of the mafias, organized crime but also of Baby Gangs: in fact, the report indicates an increase in the number of minors under investigation (from 926 in 2020 to 981 in 2021 up to 1,126 last year) and that of arrested, who represent 33.39% of the total number of those reported (376 out of 1,126).