Italy’s major criminal organisations are increasingly putting aside traditional rivalries in favour of strategic cooperation across sectors such as narcotics, prostitution, and financial crime, according to the latest report by Italy’s National Anti-Mafia Directorate (DIA).
The DIA’s annual findings, released on Tuesday, outline a marked evolution in the structure and objectives of the country’s most notorious organised crime syndicates. Longstanding hostilities between groups such as Sicily’s Cosa Nostra, the Camorra of Naples, and Calabria’s ’Ndrangheta are reportedly giving way to pragmatic alliances.
“Coexistence has fostered synergies that have progressively become structured,” DIA Director Michele Carbone stated during a press conference. He noted that these new structures are now able to absorb “overlaps, tensions and frictions,” effectively creating a more unified front among the groups.
Organised Crime and the Public Sector
The report highlights a shift in focus among syndicates such as the ’Ndrangheta, which is increasingly targeting Italy’s infrastructure and public works sectors. The risk of criminal infiltration is particularly acute in projects financed by the EU-backed post-COVID Recovery Fund. These include high-profile developments such as the planned bridge over the Strait of Messina and infrastructure for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
According to the DIA, the construction sector accounted for 38% of all administrative anti-mafia interventions in 2024. Investigations were carried out at approximately 200 sites linked to public procurement.
Carbone underscored the agency’s readiness to intervene in key national projects, stating: “Soon all anti-mafia prevention activities in connection with the construction of the bridge over the Strait (of Messina) will be started.”
Evolution in Criminal Methodology
The report details a growing technological sophistication among mafia organisations. Encrypted communications are increasingly used for coordination, while drones are employed to maintain contact with imprisoned members. This reflects a broader trend of digital adaptation, allowing groups to evade detection while sustaining operations across regional and international borders.
Meanwhile, financial crime is becoming more entrenched, particularly through transnational laundering networks. One prominent method involves Chinese “shadow banks,” or underground financial systems, which are being used to launder proceeds from illicit activity. In one instance, Italian financial police uncovered €1.7 billion worth of false invoices tied to such operations.
Social Media and Youth Recruitment
The report also raises concerns about the exploitation of social media platforms in the recruitment of young people into criminal activity. Spectacles of wealth and violence are disseminated online to glamorise mafia life, drawing in vulnerable and marginalised youths.
These so-called “baby gangs” are then employed in low-level criminal tasks, including street-level drug distribution and petty extortion. The DIA points to this trend as an ongoing threat to social cohesion, particularly in economically depressed urban areas.
Strategic Collaboration Beyond Borders
The report notes that Italian criminal groups are not only collaborating domestically but are also engaging in joint ventures with foreign syndicates. These partnerships are primarily concentrated in narcotics trafficking, with logistics spanning Latin America, the Balkans, and North Africa.
Michele Carbone emphasised the need for international cooperation to confront these increasingly transnational operations. “Mafia syndicates no longer limit themselves to territorial control. They are financial and logistical networks, and we must treat them accordingly,” he said.
Legislative and Preventive Measures
In response to these developments, the DIA is calling for enhanced preventative frameworks, particularly in the vetting of public contracts. A more robust application of anti-mafia certification processes, increased inter-agency coordination, and technological countermeasures are being proposed to curb criminal influence in state-funded infrastructure projects.
The DIA’s report also calls for tighter financial monitoring mechanisms to detect irregular capital flows, especially those associated with underground banking systems. It argues that law enforcement must not only pursue traditional enforcement strategies but also adapt to the increasingly financial and digital nature of organised crime.
Conclusion
The report by the DIA paints a picture of a mafia landscape in transition. No longer defined solely by territorial feuds and overt violence, Italy’s organised crime groups are evolving into cooperative entities focused on maximising profit and influence through strategic alliances and technological innovation.
As public money continues to flow into Italy’s post-pandemic recovery and development plans, the challenge for authorities will be to stay ahead of these shifting dynamics. The DIA’s findings underline the necessity of sustained vigilance, modernised enforcement tools, and international cooperation to prevent the consolidation of mafia power in both economic and social spheres.
