The Italian mafia is focussing less on using violence and more on infiltrating the legitimate economy and political corruption, an official report has concluded.
Economic and social changes have meant organized crime has had to adapt its strategies, and is increasingly focusing on the so-called silent infiltration of the legal economy and bribery, according to a report published on Tuesday by the Italian Anti-Mafia Authority (Dia).
The use of violence has not been completely abandoned by mafiosi, but it has decreased, the report found. In the past, mafia organizations such as Cosa Nostra, Camorra or 'Ndrangheta habitually carried out brutal crimes.
"Today, the mafia prefers to focus its attention on entrepreneurial areas, profiting from the huge capital it has accumulated through illegal activities," the report, which covers the first half of 2023, stated.
Drug trafficking is still the mafia's main source of income. However, according to the report, this is no longer carried out on the street and by force, as in the previous model of the "old mafia," but increasingly online.
The use of modern technologies has risen, and mafioso are increasingly using encrypted communication systems, instant messaging services and social media networks.
According to the report, the mafia is also increasingly infiltrating public administration and politics.