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Daniel Ebbighausen

Mr. Phillips

AP Language

13 December 2017

Crime in Italy: The Mafia is No Longer the Problem

When thinking of Italian gangsters or Mafiosos, men like the characters of old movies

come to mind. Movies like “Scarface,” “The Goodfellas,” and “The Godfather” have all created

the image of the Italian mobster; violent, in a nice suit, with lots of charisma and most

importantly, Italian. This has been true for the past hundred years, but no longer. Now a new

type of gangster dominates Italy, one unlike the classic criminals that have become ingrained in

popular culture. Illegal migrants have taken over Italy’s underworld and control human

trafficking, prostitution, and drug trafficking, and they must be stopped.

Nigerian gangs have risen to prominence within Italy over the past decade due to illegal

immigration, mafia ties, and human trafficking. The first Gang to rise to power was the Black

Axe, and then came the Vikings. The Black Axe is a group of Nigerian Criminals who slipped

into Italy among waves of illegal immigrants who have crossed the Mediterranean Sea for a

better life in Italy (Dedman and Tehrani). The gang suffered after police arrested many of its

leaders and the Vikings rose to power (Gaffey). The Vikings have maintained power over the

Black Axe due to a more “fluid leadership structure” (Gaffey). According to Rodolfo Ruperti,

the head of the Palermo flying police, the inability to pinpoint gang leaders has made it more

difficult to shut the gang down (Gaffey). In many ways it is, also harder to disrupt the Nigerian

gangs than the local mafia. Since the Nigerian gangs operate within “close-knit” communities of
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mostly illegal immigrants, it is exceedingly difficult for police to develop informants or gain

intelligence as these communities are also less trusting of the police and less likely to report

abuse (Mackie). This makes it harder for police to effectively do their jobs, and it makes these

gangs that much more dangerous than the traditional mafia.

Migrant gangs like the Black Axe and the Vikings have risen to prominence due to illegal

immigration. Immigrants are more likely to join gangs to protect their families or find work,

especially those who are in the country under questionable legal status (Dedman and Tehrani).

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), around 500,000 migrants

arrived in Italy over the last 3 years. In the last year alone, Italy saw over 116,632 new migrants.

IOM also reports that more migrants originated from Nigeria than any other country. This

provides the gangs with a large pool from which they can recruit new members, and it provides

the gangs with more victims.

Some might doubt the impact of migrants because overall crime rates in Italy are trending

down. According to Statista, there were around 2.9 million criminal acts in Italy in 2012,

compared to 2.4 million in 2016, but this can be misleading. For example, the homicide rate has

also fallen from around 700 deaths in 2003 to around 470 in 2014, but it then began to increase

again with nearly 490 people killed in 2016 (Statista, Knoema). The assault rate is also trending

up with around 52,000 assaults committed in 2004, and around 66,000 assaults in 2014

(Knoema). Therefore, despite the overall crime rate trending down, the violent crime rate is

actually trending upward. This is in no small part caused by the relationship between the Italian

mafia and Nigerian gangs.

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Local Italian mafia and Nigerian gangs work together. In Palermo, Sicily, the Black Axe

works with Cosa Nostra, a famous mafia who has historically controlled this part of Italy

(Dedman and Tehrani). The Vikings have a similar relationship with the Cosa Nostra. According

to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the Vikings even serve as

lookouts for the mafia. Both gangs pay the mafia in return for the mafia allowing them to sell

drugs within cities traditionally controlled by the mafia. The name of this exchange is “pizzo”

and is why these gangs have begun to flourish in Italy (Dedman and Tehrani). This symbiotic

relationship is partially the fault of the government.

The crack down on the mafia by the Italian police necessitates their dependence upon the

migrant gangs. The Italian Ministry of Interior has reported that since 1990 4,000 mobsters have

been arrested (Oltermann and Tondo). Most recently, the titles of newspapers have read, “37

Arrested and 9.7 Million Pounds Seized in Italian Mafia crackdown” and “Italian Police Target

116 Individuals in Major Anti-Mafia Sweep” (The Local It, Newsdesk Independent). Another

factor in this recent partnership is that with the recent downturn of the economy in Italy, the

mafias have begun to invest their money elsewhere (Knoema, Oltermann and Tondo). The Cosa

Nostra and Ndrangheta have both begun to expand into Germany, and other countries in Europe

with more vibrant economies (Oltermann and Tondo). The government arresting members of the

traditional mafia, as well as the mafia leaving, has caused the overall crime rate to drop, but it

has also left a cavern that gangs are not hesitant to fill.

The final reason that immigrants have taken over the underworld of Italy is that they

control much of the human trafficking and prostitution. According to the US State Department,

the number of human trafficking victims has increased dramatically due to the constant flow of
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immigrants. In 2015, around 2,800 trafficked peoples had come to Italy from Nigeria, and in

2016, more than 7,500 trafficked peoples arrived in Italy from Nigeria. The number of

trafficking victims more than doubled in only a year. The most horrific part, though, is the

intersection of human trafficking and prostitution, the sex slaves of Italy. As many as 90% of the

prostitutes in Palermo are Nigerian immigrants (Dedman and Tehrani). These sex slaves make up

the majority of prostitutes in Palermo, and in Italy (Reguly). It is best described by Eric Reguly

in his article “For most of these women, sex work isn’t a choice, it is slave labor enforced by

vicious gang leaders who threaten the women with physical violence”. According to Tania

Macaluso, a University of Palermo graduate who wrote her thesis in the trafficking of Nigerian

Women and now works to help these women through charitable efforts, “The girls are slaves

from every point of view, economically, religiously, physically, and psychologically.” She also

states, “The other tragedy is that the ages of the girls are going down, down, down. Now they’re

very young. They are fresh meat. The clients prefer young girls” (qtd. in Reguly). If that is not

sickening enough, the process by which human traffickers bring young girls to Italy is

deplorable.

Human traffickers in Africa promise girls a job in Italy, as well as food and

accommodations. They are often unaware that they will have to sell their bodies once they arrive.

Before embarking on their exodus to Italy, the girls visit a “juju” or a “witch doctor” who binds

their contact with their trafficker with magic. The jujus tell them that if they try to run away in

Italy then they or their family will burn alive because of the magic that has been cast upon them.

By the time the girls have reached Italy, their debt totals between 20,000 and 40,000 euros and

working as prostitutes they only make around 20 euros a trick. As well as their debt, sex workers
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in Italy also have to pay for lodging, food, and protection money to the local Italian mafia

(Reguly). As a result, the sex workers keep very little of the money they earn, and are unable to

escape from this horrible situation.

As gangs of immigrants have begun to make up such a large portion of the underworld in

Italy, they have caused an increase in violent crimes as well as becoming some of the most

adversely affected victims in Italy. It is clear what needs to happen. Italy needs to stem the tide

of illegal immigrants that cross the Mediterranean Sea into Italy in order to prevent criminals

from coming into the country, as well as to stop people who will become victims or forced to

work in the sex industry from entering their country. Both Italy and Libya have taken steps to

prevent immigrants from crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The Libyan Coast Guard has begun to

patrol their waters more heavily, and Italy has deployed two boats to help them.

Another way to stem the tide is to regulate the non-government organizations (NGOs) or

charities that have been ferrying immigrants across the Mediterranean. When NGOs rescue

immigrant trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea they bring them back to Europe instead of

taking them back to Africa (Farrell). This gives immigrants hope that even if they set off to

Europe in shoddy rafts, the NGOs will rescue them and bring them to Italy. In addition, NGOs

are responsible for a large number of the immigrants brought to Italy. NGOs are responsible for

saving a one-fourth of all migrants saved in 2016, and for saving one-third of the migrants saved

in 2017 according to Italy’s Coast Guard. To compound upon this, many suspect that some

NGOs are in league with the human traffickers who bring immigrants and sex slaves to Italy.

Most recently, the Italian government seized a ship belonging the German based NGO Jugend

Rettet after evidence of collusion between African based human traffickers and the sailors on the
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boat was discovered (Pantaleone). For the safety of both Italians and the immigrant who are

crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the NGOs need more regulations.

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Works Cited

Dedman, Harriet, and Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani. “The Mafia and a Nigerian Gang Are

Targeting Refugees in Sicily.” ​VICE News​, Vice News, 21 Oct. 2017, Accessed 28

November 2017.

Farrell, Nicholas. “Madness in the Med: How Charity Rescue Boats Exacerbate the Refugee

Crisis.” ​The Spectator​, Libero, 20 July 2017, Accessed 4 December 2017.

Gaffey, Conor. “The Mafia Are Now Working with Nigerian 'Viking' Gangsters to Sell Sex.”

Newsweek​, Newsweek, 28 June 2017, Accessed 3 December 2017.

“Italian Police Target 116 Individuals in Major Anti-Mafia Sweep.” ​The Local It​, The Local, 4

July 2017, Accessed 3 December 2017.

“Italy Assault, 2003-2014.” ​Knoema​, Knoema, 2017, Accessed 1 December 2017.

“Italy Homicides, 2000-2014.” ​Knoema​, Knoema, 2017, Accessed 1 December 2017.

Mackie, Kyle. “Italian Police: Mafia and Nigerian ‘Vikings’ Gang Collaborating in Palermo.”

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project​, OCCRP, 28 June 2017, Accessed

29 November 2017.

Mackintosh, Eliza. “Europe's Migrant Crisis Isn't Going Away, but It Is Changing.” ​CNN​, Cable

News Network, 29 Aug. 2017, Accessed 4 December 2017.

Newsdesk, Independent.ie. “37 Arrested and £9.7m Seized in Italian Mafia Crackdown.”

Independent.ie​, Independent, 4 Oct. 2017, Accessed 3 December 2017.

Office of the Under Secretary for the Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. “Italy.”

U.S. Department of State​, U.S. Department of State, June 2017, Accessed 1 December

2017.
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Oltermann, Philip, and Lorenzo Tondo. “Mafia Gangs Move to Germany as Business Hits Hard

Times in Sicily.” ​The Guardian​, Guardian News and Media, 29 June 2017, Accessed 1

December 2017.

Pantaleone, Wladimiro. “Italy Seizes NGO Rescue Boat for Allegedly Aiding Illegal Migration.”

Reuters​, Thomson Reuters, 3 Aug. 2017, Accessed 4 December 2017.

“Recent Trends: Arrivals to Italy.” ​Migration Flow- Europe​, International Organization for

Migration, 28 Nov. 2017, Accessed 29 November 2017.

Reguly, Eric. “Led to Italy with Promise of a Better Life, Nigerian Women Are Being Forced

into Sex Slavery.” ​The Globe and Mail​, The Globe and Mail, 30 Nov. 2017, Accessed 3

December 2017.

“ Search and Rescue .” ​Italian Coast Guard​, 2017, Accessed 4 December 2017.

“Topic: Crime in Italy.” ​Statista​, Statista, 2017, Accessed 1 December 2017.