This was the first judicial decision of the Court of Reggio Calabria following a request by 76 defendants for a shortened procedure (known as a rito abbreviato). The suspects have been sentenced for participating in a mafia-style organised crime group and for taking part in an international drug trafficking organisation. 

Eurojust considers this to be its largest action taken against a mafia-style organisation. The operation was carried out by the Italian competent judicial authority – the District Antimafia Prosecutor Office of Reggio Calabria, in close partnership with the competent authorities of Belgium, Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Rumania, Slovenian, Brazil and Panama, supported and coordinated at international level by Eurojust and Europol. It exposed a network led by several ‘Ndrangheta families based mainly in San Luca. The case has confirmed that ’Ndrangheta members, seen as one of the most powerful criminal networks in the world, are responsible for much of Europe’s cocaine trade and were also active in systematic money laundering. 

The investigation was complex due to the criminals’ use of the encrypted messaging services Encrochat and Sky ECC to run their criminal activities, as well as the ongoing nature of the investigations, which took place both within and outside the European Union. For these reasons, Eurojust’s support for the national authorities and its role in international coordination were crucial. 

On 3 May 2023, authorities from Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Romania, Brazil and Panama deployed over 2 700 officers to raid multiple locations and seize several companies. It led to the arrest of 132 members of the network. 

The key to the successful action day in May was the cooperation among the 10 authorities during the investigations, which was coordinated by Eurojust and Europol. Through the funding and establishment of two joint investigation teams, Eurojust ensured that the authorities were able to exchange information and prepare the intricate operation on 3 May. The fast and effective cooperation through the JITs proved essential for successfully taking down the dangerous criminal network. Eurojust set up a coordination centre to facilitate rapid cooperation among the judicial authorities involved in the action day and to support the transmission and execution of European Investigation Orders. Europol provided the investigators with intelligence packages and cross-match reports and deployed specialists during the action day.