Nicola Gratteri

"Bruno Vespa: What is the 'Ndrangheta today? Gratteri: It is the only mafia present on every continent and the only one that can go to the Amazon rainforest and buy a kilo of cocaine with a purity of 98-99% for a thousand euros, while other mafias buy it for two thousand or two thousand five hundred euros. It is a question of credibility that the 'Ndrangheta brand has over other mafias. If two thousand kilos of cocaine are seized from the 'Ndrangheta at the port of Gioia Tauro and the 'Ndrangheta goes with the seizure report, the Colombian cartels give them another two thousand kilos without paying for them."

"I find it easier to collaborate with Colombia and Peru than with Malta. If Malta decides not to collaborate with Italy, or responds six months or a year late, the investigation will be useless."

"I haven't heard Salvini talk about mafias, only about immigration. The problem cannot be solved by creating a blockade on the Libyan coast. We need to go to Central Africa, sending in the secret services (AISE), 95% of whom are based within Rome's ring road, to find out who is organizing the desert crossings. Then we need to go there and build infrastructure and activities to make Central Africa livable, and then deal with illegal immigrants in Italy. But without bilateral agreements, how can they be repatriated?"

"La Santa is the watershed between the old and new 'Ndrangheta. Founded in 1969-1970, it allows for the dual affiliation of a member of the 'Ndrangheta, that is, to be part of the 'Ndrangheta and participate in a deviant Masonic lodge. This means that by joining a Masonic lodge, a member of the 'Ndrangheta is able to have direct contact with senior figures in the public administration. I remember that years ago, a collaborator of justice told me that three hooded figures were whispering in the Grand Master's ear, and among them were magistrates. So you can understand the huge leap in quality for the 'Ndrangheta, i.e., what it meant to be a member of La Santa."

"What happens in countries where there is a separation between the careers of magistrates? What happens is that the public prosecutor is subordinate to the executive. Every year, the Minister of Justice sets out the priorities. [...] In 2028, our priority may be online fraud, which is important and must be prosecuted, but corruption and extortion must also be prosecuted. Mafia crimes, money laundering, and financial crimes must also be prosecuted, as they are important because they are the cutting edge of the mafia. It is obvious, then, that we are against it. [...] and we will vote no to the separation of careers when, probably in late spring 2026, we go to the polls for the referendum, because we are convinced that it will only cause harm. It will only be an additional obstacle to having a fair and swift trial and, above all, to protecting the injured parties."

"(About the public office abuse, Article 323 of the Italian Penal Code) Abolishing abuse of office is a favor to those with connections; those in power do not want to be controlled."

"With the money from seizures, the 'Ndrangheta entered the construction and public procurement business."

"Drug trafficking has become big business for the 'ndrangheta, which has sent its men to South America to buy cocaine at the lowest price."

"The 'Ndrangheta sells cocaine wholesale to Cosa Nostra and the Camorra, as well as distributing it itself in central and northern Italy."

"(About the 'Ndrangheta) Only crumbs remain in Calabria: it is not profitable to invest there and it would make suspicious wealth visible. It buys from Rome upwards. And it is present in many European countries, from Germany to Switzerland, and abroad, in Canada and Australia."

"Today, it is the politicians who seek out the members of the 'Ndrangheta and not vice versa. To obtain votes in exchange for contracts."