'Ndrangheta members are known to operate different than the average mobster and they are usually more low-key.
That's the same argument I hear over and over again by people who claim the Detroit or Kansas City families are still going strong. And what about all the 'Ndrangheta busts in Italy or other parts of Europe? Did they miss out on the memo about being low key?
They are also generally more involved in legitimate businesses. So the number of indictments hypothesis doesn't necessarily have to correspond for them too.
The Sicilians in Montreal were/are also involved in legitimate businesses. And I've said before that's what I think the actual Sicilian Mafia and Calabrian 'Ndrangheta clans are most involved with in North America - money laundering via legitimate businesses.
My point about indictments was in response to some people saying the move on the Rizzutos is an effort by the 'NDrangheta to take control of the drug trade. But also one would think there would be at least some occasional criminal charges that pop up from time to time.
I'm also one of those who believes that naming 40 members by Italian authorities doesn't have to mean that there couldn't be more who weren't named. But it does strongly indicate, like you said, that there aren't hundreds of them operating in Toronto like some want to believe. So I think the number would be closer to 50, but that doesn't include "associates".
Either way, 40 or 50 I could believe. I've just noticed some people getting carried away lately with the talk about Toronto when there really isn't a whole lot of info.
You should definitely read Mafia Inc.
I own the book.
