Police across Europe staged a vast, coordinated operation on Wednesday (3 May) against the ‘Ndrangheta, Italy’s most powerful and wealthy mafia that controls the bulk of cocaine flowing into Europe.

Some 132 people were taken into custody in early morning raids as part of a blitz involving eight European countries plus Brazil and Panama, according to EU law enforcement agency Europol.

“It is likely the biggest operation ever carried out in Europe against the Calabrese mafia,” said Eric van Duyse, spokesman for Belgium’s federal prosecutors’ office, which began the investigation five years ago.

The prosecutors said around 150 addresses were raided across Italy, Germany, Belgium, France, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Romania.