Organised crime outstrips nations

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: The Times

The Italian organised crime group the ’Ndrangheta makes more money than some small European countries, a study by the Eurispes research group found.

The estimated turnover of the group, which has overtaken the Sicilian Mafia for drug trafficking, was valued at €44 billion (£35.5 billion) last year. This is the annual business equivalent of 2.9 per cent of the Italian gross domestic product for the same year and is equal to the combined GDP of Slovenia and Estonia. The ’Ndrangheta was responsible for the killing of six Italians at a pizzeria in Germany last August. It makes its money through drugs, extortion, arms trafficking and prostitution.

The report, ’ Ndrangheta Holding, estimated that the south Calabria region group made €27.2 billion from drugs. Raffaele Rio, of Eurispes, said that it made more money from narcotics, mostly cocaine, by working directly with South American dealers. The report added that fighting between clans of the group was increasing.

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3981192.ece

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See also: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7413906.stm

[MetaTrope]

1. It's a bit spread out compared to the BFEE

Anyone care to guess where that missing $21 billion cash supposedly airlifted to Iraq ended up?

[liberal renegade]

2. Somewhere between Crawford ,Texas

and Jackson Hole, Wyoming

[lib2DaBone]

3. Oil.. The new Black Gold. Act 1 Scene 2

<Walter Winchell> "Fighting erupted today between two rival gangs, over control of the new Black Gold, Oil. The new Italian Mafia launched an attack for control of the lucrative shipments, against the Bush/Cheney Mob. Known on the streets as the "BFEE", the Bush/Cheney mob are also called "NeoCons", and are populated by over-weight white men, sleazy attorneys and a long list of felons left over from the 70's Nixon Administration. A recent double cross and falling out between the BFEE and their muscle-men, Saudi Arabia, has given the New Italian Mafia a chance to break the old business cycle and start trading Oil in Euro Dollars instead of U.S. Dollars. Rumors are that world crime syndicates are giving up their trade in drugs and prostitution, and switching to control of oil, which provides enormous, fast profits and little risk, due to the lack of law enforcement regulation."

Pssst.. wanna buy some light-sweet-crude? I got some good stuff comin' in Monday"