Federal prosecutor says 'Ndrangheta is entrenched in Switzerland

The federal prosecutor used the closing hearing on September 2, 2026, to describe the ’Ndrangheta as a long established presence in Switzerland. Speaking at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, the prosecutor said the organisation had been embedded in the country for several decades, reaching into its social, economic and institutional fabric.

The remarks gave the trial a significance beyond the allegations against one defendant. The prosecution presented the proceedings as confirmation of concerns raised over many years about the Calabrian mafia’s presence in Switzerland. The ’Ndrangheta is one of Italy’s most powerful organised crime groups, but the source material does not allege that every person or institution named in the prosecutor’s warning was involved in criminal conduct.

The case focuses on a 59-year-old man accused of acting as a logistical and financial mastermind for the organisation in Switzerland. His alleged role, as outlined by the prosecution, places money, coordination and operational support at the centre of the proceedings. The court must now assess the evidence and the charges before issuing a judgment. The defendant is presumed innocent unless found guilty.

The prosecution says the defendant’s alleged activity lasted almost 20 years. In the closing address, the federal prosecutor described him as an example of how the ’Ndrangheta’s presence took root in Switzerland and expanded over time.

The prosecutor said the defendant did more than help establish the organisation. He allegedly enabled it to flourish “abundantly” for almost two decades. That description points to a sustained function rather than a brief episode, although the published account does not provide a detailed breakdown of the alleged transactions, locations or associates.

The prosecution identified two connected areas of responsibility: logistics and finance. For a criminal organisation, those functions can support movement, communication and the handling of funds. In this case, however, the available source does not specify the individual acts on which the charges rely. Those details, along with the defence’s position, will be important to the court’s assessment.

The proceedings therefore turn on the evidence presented against one man, even as the prosecutor places that evidence within a broader account of organised crime in Switzerland. The court’s verdict will determine which allegations, if any, have been proven.

The prosecutor described the alleged reach of the organisation across three parts of Swiss public life: social, economic and institutional. That formulation broadens the significance of the Bellinzona proceedings beyond a single alleged network or a single canton.

The source account does not identify specific companies, public bodies or communities as connected to the ’Ndrangheta. It also does not provide figures for membership, assets or criminal proceeds. Those limits matter. The prosecutor’s warning describes the scale and duration of the alleged presence, while the court must decide the factual questions raised by the indictment.

Switzerland’s federal authorities prosecute cases that cross cantonal or international boundaries. The Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona is hearing this case in Ticino, a canton with close geographic and economic ties to northern Italy. That setting gives the proceedings a distinctly Swiss context, while the alleged organisation has its roots in Calabria.

The prosecution’s language reflects a security concern that reaches beyond conventional street crime. It frames organised crime as a structure able to persist through relationships, financial channels and logistical support. Whether the evidence establishes that structure in this case remains for the judges to determine.

The next decisive step is the court’s judgment, not the prosecutor’s warning. The closing address has put the alleged ’Ndrangheta network and the defendant’s claimed role at the centre of public attention, but a closing speech does not establish guilt.

The Federal Criminal Court must weigh the evidence concerning the 59-year-old accused man, including the allegation that he coordinated logistics and finances for almost 20 years. The court will also have to consider whether the prosecution has demonstrated the defendant’s connection to the organisation and the specific conduct charged. The source material does not state when judges will issue their verdict or what sentence the prosecution has requested.

For Switzerland, the case provides a public test of how federal justice handles allegations involving an international mafia organisation with a long alleged presence in the country. It also places institutional resilience, financial oversight and cross-border cooperation under scrutiny, although the published report gives no details about future investigations or policy measures.

Until the court rules, the established facts are limited: prosecutors say the ’Ndrangheta has been entrenched in Switzerland for decades, and one man stands accused of helping it operate. The judgment will determine what the evidence proves.