Man sentenced to more than six years for ‘Ndrangheta role in Switzerland

A Federal Criminal Court ruling in Bellinzona has handed a 59-year-old man six years and three months in prison for his role in the ‘Ndrangheta in Switzerland. The court also ordered his deportation for ten years. The presiding judge said there was “no doubt” the man belonged to the criminal organisation, the Calabrian Mafia whose activities prosecutors linked to his work in Switzerland.

The sentence matched the term sought by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG). Prosecutors described the defendant as a logistical and financial hub for the group, alleging he helped advance the interests of the Anello-Fruci clan. The case centred on alleged support for the clan’s operations, including money transfers to Italy, drug trafficking and illegal trade in arms and ammunition.

The ruling sets out a substantial prison term and a long deportation order for a man the court found to be a member of the organisation. The prosecution’s case also traced his alleged involvement over nearly two decades.

Prosecutors said the defendant connected the clan’s Swiss activities to money movement, drug trafficking and illegal arms trading. According to the indictment, he transported money to Italy, acted as an intermediary in drug trafficking and supported the illegal trade in weapons and ammunition.

The OAG also alleged that the man initiated negotiations to obstruct the tracing, recovery or confiscation of assets he knew came from crime. Prosecutors accused him of using mafia-style methods, including intimidation and psychological coercion, particularly in the collection of debts and “bribes”. Those claims formed part of the prosecution’s account of how he supported the organisation’s interests.

The court’s sentence followed the OAG’s request for six years and three months in prison. The account of the indictment describes a role that went beyond a single alleged transaction: prosecutors said the defendant contributed to the criminal organisation’s existence, consolidation and strength in Switzerland. The presiding judge’s statement on membership accompanied the verdict.

The OAG said the man knowingly participated in the Anello-Fruci clan’s criminal activities from at least early 2001 until July 2020. Prosecutors identified the clan as the Fino Mornasco branch, coordinated with the Giffone branch. They said the existence and structure of the group had been confirmed by final and binding convictions in Italy.

According to the indictment, the defendant attended a ‘Ndrangheta meeting and misled Swiss administrative authorities. Prosecutors said he did so to help another member establish himself in Switzerland, enabling the clan to facilitate criminal activities on Swiss territory. They alleged that he understood his actions would help the organisation persist and grow.

These allegations placed the defendant’s conduct within a wider clan structure spanning Italy and Switzerland. The OAG also accused him of exploiting the intimidating power of a criminal organisation capable of serious violence. The court’s finding that he was a member and the sentence imposed in Bellinzona bring the Swiss proceedings against him to a close at this stage.

The ten-year deportation order adds a second major consequence to the prison sentence. The Federal Criminal Court imposed the measure alongside six years and three months in custody, following the OAG’s request for the same prison term. The ruling was delivered in Bellinzona on November 10, 2026.

The presiding judge said the man’s behaviour aligned with the “ideals” of the Calabrian Mafia. Prosecutors had alleged that he used the organisation’s intimidating force in debt collection and in dealings involving illicit payments. They also said he tried to frustrate efforts to trace or recover criminal proceeds.

Together, the judgment and deportation order mark the court’s response to the role attributed to the defendant in the clan’s Swiss operations. The case connects the court’s membership finding with allegations of financial support, trafficking links and pressure tactics. The ruling gives the defendant a six-year-and-three-month prison term, followed by a ten-year period in which he is ordered to leave Switzerland.