In late 2024, law enforcement in Italy carried out a series of raids that resulted in the arrest of 25 people suspected of being associated with the ‘Ndrangheta Mafia. Formed in the 19th century, it is regarded as one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world. The ‘Ndrangheta primarily dealt with drug trafficking but was known to also be involved in arms trafficking, racketeering, extortion and money laundering, among other criminal activities. It historically influenced Italian politics at local and national levels and stretched its influence beyond the country’s borders, to other European countries as well as the Americas and Australia. In 2013 alone the organization was believed to have made over $55 billion and, at one point, its activities were believed to account at least 3% of Italy’s GDP. Among those arrested during the December 2024 raid was Sister Anna Donelli, a volunteer at Milan’s San Vittore prison. The 57-year-old nun was believed to have acted as a go-between for the organization and its jailed members. Donelli was known for her charity work in the crime and poverty-affected areas of Milan and, in February of 2024, she had received the Golden Panettone, an annual civic award. Two politicians were also arrested and nearly $2 million were seized during the law enforcement operation which expanded across several towns in the Lombardy and Veneto regions, as well as Calabria in the south.