The head of Italy's anti-Mafia task force has said that the criminal gang behind the deaths of six men in Germany is now the most powerful crime syndicate in Europe.

The 'Ndrangheta, or Calabrian Mafia, is blamed for Wednesday's murder of six Italians in Duisburg.

Pietro Grasso, Italy's anti-Mafia commissioner, said the killings demonstrated that it was now operating globally. Other experts warned that the 'Ndrangheta was also active in Britain, where it controlled the flow of Colombian cocaine.

Mr Grasso said it was clear that the 'Ndrangheta, which for years has been relatively unknown compared with the much more famous Sicilian Mafia, Cosa Nostra, "has now assumed major economic power, especially in international drug dealing".

The 'Ndrangheta is thought to control almost all of Colombia's cocaine exports to Europe, which flow through the port town of Gioia di Tauro in Calabria, southern Italy.

"This organisation is now all over Europe and even has a hand in politics," said Mr Grasso. He added that "no country in the world" would stop it, until the international banking system became less opaque. "We can find the drugs and the people, but we cannot track the money. There is no doubt that money is moving to Colombia, so why can we not see it?" he asked.

"We have increased the number of our raids and checks enormously, but the strategy is absolutely useless. The people who traffic drugs make sure they do not violate the banking norms over the transfer of capital, and they act openly and with the help of major financial experts."

There are thought to be 73 clans within the 'Ndrangheta, which is pronounced "en-drang-ay-ta".

The latest report from Italy's secret services show that it has become the country's largest criminal organisation, with an estimated 10,000 men compared with the three to four thousand in Cosa Nostra. The report also said the syndicate has "uncontested" control over the drug market.

Antonio Nicaso, the author of Blood Brothers (Fratelli di Sangue, Luigi Pellegrini Editore), a book on the 'Ndrangheta, said it was the only truly global Italian crime syndicate.

"The 'Ndrangheta has been very adept at modernising itself. It uses the internet to recycle the money from its activities and holds a monopoly on Colombian cocaine into Europe. They have direct links with the Colombians and with terrorist organisations. It is almost certainly involved in the UK as well," he said.

Unlike the Sicilian Mafia, which is organised into families, the 'Ndrangheta uses a system of arranged marriages to enmesh its members into a tight set of relationships.

The second 'Ndrangheta war from 1985-91 claimed 700 lives and several blood feuds are still running today.

Aug. 18, 2007