Police in Italy have arrested more than 320 people who they believe are connected to a powerful Mafia family.
According to reports, police arrested suspected members of the Calabrian Mafia family after raid stings were set up across Italy and the U.S.
Police said the operation followed an extended investigation with use of wiretaps, which helped the investigative unit gain insight into the organization of the ‘Ndrangheta, which is less well understood than the Cosa Nostra.
Suspects were charged with crimes ranging from money laundering, belonging to an organized crime, to murder and extortion.
News reports state that the sweep involved some 3,000 police across Italy and the raids were meant to underline the growing power of the ‘Ndrangheta, the Calabrian Mafia that was long overshadowed by the Sicilian Cosa Nostra.
The group has expanded out of its native region of Calabria to play a major role in organized crime throughout Europe and in the international narcotics trade from South America.
Tuesday’s raids took place in Calabria and in northern regions of Italy. Although the arrests in Italy lead to arrests in the U.S., Italian authorities gave few initial details about arrests in the U.S. for fear of jeopardizing further investigations.
