Head of Italy's ’Ndrangheta Crime Syndicate Arrested

The Italian police arrested more than 300 people, including local government officials, and seized millions of dollars in property, money, weapons and drugs across the country on Tuesday in one of the most extensive law enforcement operations against the crime syndicate known as ’Ndrangheta.

Photo: Head of Italy's ’Ndrangheta Crime Syndicate Arrested

The organization is mainly based in the southern region of Calabria. The man believed to be the organization’s top boss, Domenico Oppedisano, 80, was arrested in a predawn raid there.

About 160 people were also arrested in the northern region of Lombardy, among them one of the group’s reputed leaders in Milan, Pino Neri, New York Times reports.

Prosecutor Ilda Boccassini said charges ranged from murder to drugs-trafficking.

She also described how the places they chose for their meetings were where they felt secure.

"But nevertheless," she said, "during the inquiry we have been able to document and in some cases even to record more than 40 summits made by the ‘Ndrangheta over two years in Milan."

The secretly filmed meetings allegedly provided evidence that the Ndrangheta had tried to reap profits from public tenders for an Expo which Milan is hosting in 2015, euronews reports.