Nicola Gratteri – MOB Justice
The Atlantic|October 2020
An Italian prosecutor takes on his country’s most powerful crime syndicate.
By Rachel Donadio
Nicola Gratteri – MOB Justice

The airport at Lamezia Terme, Calabria, in the toe of Italy’s boot, was built in the 1970s and has not aged well. The cement facade is punctuated by rows of round windows that resemble oversize portholes. The parking lot is poorly paved. Beyond it rises an unfinished concrete tower, open to the elements and covered on one side by an advertisement for amaro.

I was there one day last year to meet Nicola Gratteri, the chief prosecutor for nearby Catanzaro, a small city high in the hills of central Calabria. Gratteri has dedicated the past three decades of his life to fighting a Calabriabased organization known as the ’Ndrangheta—the richest, most powerful, and most secretive criminal group in Italy today. (Pronounced en-drahn-get-ta, the word essentially means “man of honor”; it is believed to be derived from the Greek andragathía, or “heroism.”)

Sicily’s Cosa Nostra has been romanticized by the Godfather movies. The Neapolitan Camorra has become widely known through the film and TV series Gomorrah. But the ’Ndrangheta, the least telegenic and most publicityshy of Italy’s Mafias, is the most aggressive.

Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av The Atlantic.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av The Atlantic.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE ATLANTICSe alt
Boat Fish Don't Count
The Atlantic

Boat Fish Don't Count

The wild, obsessive, dangerous pursuit of Montauk's biggest striped bass

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
The Anti-Rock Star
The Atlantic

The Anti-Rock Star

Leonard Cohen's battle against shameless male egoism

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
A Brief History of Yuval Noah Harari
The Atlantic

A Brief History of Yuval Noah Harari

How the scholar became Silicon Valley's favorite guru

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
Rachel Kushner's Surprising Swerve
The Atlantic

Rachel Kushner's Surprising Swerve

She and her narrators have always relied on swagger-but not this time.

time-read
9 mins  |
October 2024
Men on Trips Eating Food
The Atlantic

Men on Trips Eating Food

Why TV is full of late-career Hollywood guys at restaurants

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
You Think You're So Heterodox
The Atlantic

You Think You're So Heterodox

Joe Rogan has turned Austin into a haven for manosphere influencers, just-asking-questions tech bros, and other \"free thinkers\" who happen to all think alike.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
What Abortion Bans Do to Doctors
The Atlantic

What Abortion Bans Do to Doctors

In Idaho and other states, draconian laws are forcing physicians to ignore their training and put patients' lives at risk.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
THE LOYALIST KASH PATEL WILL DO EXACTLY WHAT TRUMP WANTS.
The Atlantic

THE LOYALIST KASH PATEL WILL DO EXACTLY WHAT TRUMP WANTS.

A 40-year-old lawyer with little government experience, he joined the administration in 2019 and rose rapidly. Each new title set off new alarms.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
THE RADICAL CONVERSION OF MIKE LEE
The Atlantic

THE RADICAL CONVERSION OF MIKE LEE

IN 2016, HE TRIED TO STOP TRUMP FROM BECOMING PRESIDENT. BY 2020, HE WAS TRYING TO HELP TRUMP OVERTURN THE ELECTION. NOW HE COULD BECOME TRUMP'S ATTORNEY GENERAL.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024
HYPOCRISY, SPINELESSNESS, AND THE TRIUMPH OF DONALD TRUMP
The Atlantic

HYPOCRISY, SPINELESSNESS, AND THE TRIUMPH OF DONALD TRUMP

He said Republican politicians would be easy to break. He was right.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2024