Swiss court sentences 59-year-old 'Ndrangheta member to six years and three months

The verdict

The Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona convicted a 59-year-old man on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, of membership in the 'Ndrangheta crime organisation. Presiding judge Fiorenza Bergomi sentenced him to six years and three months in prison and ordered his expulsion from Switzerland for ten years. The court followed the request of the federal prosecution service, which had asked for that same prison term. Bergomi said there was no doubt about his membership and that his conduct matched the "ideals" of the Calabrian mafia. He has lived in Switzerland for more than 40 years, and reports describe his trade variously as landscaper, gardener or excavation contractor.

The prosecution case

Prosecutors allege he acted as the Swiss affiliate and a key figure for the Anello-Fruci clan, whose Fino Mornasco branch was coordinated with the Giffone branch, from at least the beginning of 2001 until July 2020. According to the indictment, he carried money to Italy, acted as an intermediary in drug trafficking and supported the illegal trade in arms and ammunition. According to crown witnesses cited by the court, he supplied clan members with weapons and ammunition from Switzerland, and he oversaw the clan's investments in restaurants and strip clubs in German-speaking Switzerland. The court also found that he used mafia methods such as threats, intimidation and extortion, while prosecutors say he exploited the clan's intimidating power in debt collection and in demanding bribes. Prosecutors further allege he attended a 'Ndrangheta meeting and misled Swiss administrative authorities to help a clan member settle in the country, and that he opened talks to block the tracing or confiscation of criminal assets. The judge cited wiretapped conversations, crown witness statements and reports from an undercover investigator, and found his own testimony barely credible, vague and imprecise. Federal prosecutor Sergio Mastroianni led the case for the prosecution.

Acquittals and reaction

Not all charges succeeded. The court acquitted him of importing counterfeit money on a large scale and of two of the three drug trafficking counts, partly because of the statute of limitations, according to watson. Le Temps reports that the sister of the clan's godfather was also convicted in a money laundering case and that both have been expelled from Switzerland. Outside the court, the defendant, who continues to deny wrongdoing, said he had expected the verdict and had done nothing. His lawyer, Michele Naef, said the judgment did not match the defence's expectations and that an appeal will be lodged.

The investigation

The case grew out of Operation Imponimento, a joint Swiss and Italian anti-Mafia investigation. NZZ reports that a raid at 3am on 3 July 2020 seized weapons and arrested two men, one in Italy and one in Switzerland. Le Temps reports that the operation led to more than 70 arrests in Switzerland and Italy, while NZZ gives a total of 158 arrests and says 169 million euros were seized. NZZ also reports that the clan's base was a pizzeria, Bella Vista, in Muri in the canton of Aargau. The timeline sets out the key dates.