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Cocaine Transiting at the Port of Gioia Tauro: A Case for Reemphasis on 'Ndrangheta Organized Crime of Calabria
Thu, September 12, 4:00 to 5:15pm, Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Floor: 2nd floor, Room 3.06Abstract
According to the Italian Minister of Interior (MOI) Annual Crime Report 2017, cocaine is one of the most preferred distributed illicit drugs. Analysis of its major seizures provides insights into the locations, quantities, and overall volume of its distribution. In 2017 alone, 1912.22 kg, which is equal to 80.98% of the overall maritime border seizures, were seized at the Southern Italian Port of Gioia Tauro (MOI Annual Report 2017:26). In May 2023, Italian authorities seized over 2.7 tons of highly pure cocaine at this same hub (ANSA 16 May 2023). According to the ORGANIZED CRIME AND CORRUPTION REPORTING PROJECT Report of 26 January 2017, “‘Ndrangheta made more money than Deutsche Bank and McDonald’s put together with a turnover of €53 billion (US$ 70.41 billion) mostly from drug trafficking.” This enormous quantity of illicit wealth is tied to the container seaport of Gioia Tauro in Calabria, which is heavily influence by ‘Ndrangheta organized crime operatives. It serves as the main entry point for South-American cocaine in Italy. A cause for concern is a current initiative by the Italian government to invest 50 million Euro as part of its Special Economic Zone (Zona Economica Speciale - ZES) which includes the Port of Gioia Taura as part of the overall plan (see Bartoloni 2018). This study is a call to action for using a multidisciplinary approach among policy makers and Law Enforcement Agencies’ subject matter experts, as well as those from the academic community to create a dedicated organized crime task force in order to focus on the Port of Gioia Tauro and the ‘Ndrangheta cocaine transiting problem set. Qualitative and quantitative data are presented and analyzed in order to draw conclusions and make recommendations in an effort to neutralize the impact of ‘Ndrangheta and its lucrative illicit drug trafficking activities.