Mafia in Canada: How the ’Ndrangheta built a Toronto empire
Discover how Italian crime organisation the ’Ndrangheta built an empire in Toronto through family ties.
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When you picture the Mafia, your brain probably jumps to Sicily or New York. Maybe Mafia icons like real-life American gangster Al Capone or Hollywood’s most famous impersonator, Marlon Brando.
And when you picture Canada? Here at Sky HISTORY we have visions of snow-capped mountains, turquoise glacier lakes and tooth-and-claw wildlife. But tucked away in the suburbs of Toronto, behind the gleaming glass façades of car dealerships and the bustle of Italian cafés, one of the world’s most powerful criminal organisations has quietly grown roots: the ’Ndrangheta.
Originating from Calabria in southern Italy (the southern region at the tip of Italy's boot), the Mafia group has an alarmingly powerful presence in the Greater Toronto Area.
A family affair from the start
The ’Ndrangheta is one of the oldest and most powerful organised crime entities in the world. It dates back to the 19th century and, unlike many groups that accept anyone who can prove their loyalty, is structured almost entirely around bloodlines.
Literal family ties characterise the ’Ndrangheta which makes it almost impossible for outsiders to infiltrate. Within the group are autonomous operating units called 'ndrina, which allow the group to expand not just across Italy and in European countries like Britain but overseas, including Canada.
Their business? An array of illegal activities, including drug and arms trafficking, money laundering, extortion, racketeering and loan sharking.
From poverty to power
As mentioned earlier, the ’Ndrangheta originates in Calabria. For much of the 20th century, the region was poor, isolated and largely ignored by the rest of the country. Not great for everyday Calabrians. But the social vacuum did create space for tight-knit criminal clans to thrive.
Today they have an extraordinary level of control over local and national Italian politics, as well as a big presence in the international economy. For context, a report from 2023 estimates that thanks to its successful expansion worldwide, the ’Ndrangheta earns a huge US$72 billion in annual revenues. This figure reportedly exceeds the combined annual earnings of all Mexican drug cartels.
Want to know more about how Mafia cartels operate? Go deep with Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain on Crime+Investigation and discover the true reality of Britain’s historical relationship with the mob.
Why Toronto?
There’s a long history of Calabrian immigration to Ontario, especially to towns like Woodbridge, Vaughan and Hamilton. That made Canada a perfect base. Familiar language, family connections and enough distance from the Italian police to operate comfortably.
A cluster of families
Much like the infamous Five Families of New York, six families in particular ran the show in the Greater Toronto Area: the Coluccio, Tavernese, DeMaria, Figliomeni, Ruso and Commisso groups. Police dubbed them the ‘Siderno Group’ as most members hailed from the Calabrian town of Siderno on the Ionian coast, where the Battle of Zonchio unfolded.
Project Sindicato: the big bust
In 2019, after years of surveillance and wiretaps, the York Regional Police pulled off one of the biggest organised crime busts in Ontario. It was called Project Sindicato and saw 15 people arrested, including Siderno Group bigwigs like Angelo Figliomeni, head of the 'Ndrangheta in Toronto.
Other major crime figures arrested in the bust include Vito Sili, Nick Martino, Emilio Zannuti, Erica Quintal, Salvatore Oliveti, Giuseppe Ciurleo, Rafael Lepore and Francesco Vitucci. Officers seized $35 million in homes, sports cars, designer goods, jewellery and cash. Simultaneously, Italian police arrested 12 members of the Siderno Group in Calabria with close links to the Canadian branch.
A global web, still spinning
Project Sindicato was a breakthrough, but it didn’t shut things down completely. The case ultimately fell apart after lawyers representing accused persons like Angelo Figliomeni made allegations of an ‘unlawful’ wiretap by the York Regional Police.
And that $35 million worth of goods seized? All of it had to be handed back to Figliomeni and his counterparts, who appear to be thriving. Investigations reveal that major Canadian banks like Toronto-Dominion (TD) and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) continue to do business with Figliomeni, including holding mortgages for multiple properties in the Greater Toronto Area. It fits accusations made by Italian police that Canada can be too light-handed when it comes to cracking down on organised crime.
According to Gary Clement, a former RCMP superintendent, Figliomeni should’ve been flagged as a 'high-risk' customer from day one, given his criminal ties were hardly a secret.
The future of the ’Ndrangheta
The ’Ndrangheta isn’t going away. At least not anytime soon. It’s not a single group that can be arrested and shut down. It’s a family tree with branches that stretch across oceans and in Canada, where law enforcement is only just beginning to catch up, it’s tougher than ever to prosecute.
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