The ‘Ndrangheta, the Italian organised crime group, does yearly business equivalent to some 3 percent of Italy’s economy and more than the total of that of some small European nations, according to a study on Wednesday.

The crime group, which has overtaken the Sicilian Mafia for control of drug trafficking, was responsible for the slaying of six Italians in a pizzeria in Germany last August.

The Eurispes research group estimated that the ‘Ndrangheta’s turnover — ranging from drugs and extortion to arms trafficking and prostitution — was valued at 44 billion euros in 2007.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKL2161625720080521