Italian Anti-Mafia report: Albanian groups are cooperating with the ’Ndrangheta and Cosa Nostra, what the Hydra investigation uncovered

Albanian criminal organizations are increasingly taking part in agreements and joint operations with Italy’s traditional mafias. This trend is highlighted by Italy’s Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission, which refers, among other cases, to the Hydra investigation in Lombardy.

The commission’s new report warns of the expansion of criminal networks in northern Italy and growing ties between Albanian groups and historic mafia organizations. According to the document, Albanian groups are no longer limited to supplying drugs or engaging in isolated forms of cooperation.

The document, titled “Report on the ’Ndrangheta in northern Italy: Geography of entrenchment and new operating methods,” was approved on November 3, 2026, by the Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission, chaired by Chiara Colosimo.

The report and testimony from Italian prosecutors describe a reality in which Albanian groups are involved in cooperative structures with representatives of the ’Ndrangheta, Cosa Nostra and Camorra. The Hydra investigation, conducted in Lombardy, uncovered a scheme involving representatives of these organizations and Albanian criminal groups working together.

According to the Italian newspaper Il Quotidiano del Sud, the investigation revealed a shared system of interests in the north of the country involving drug trafficking, tax fraud and money laundering.

Prosecutor Alessandra Cerreti has described the presence of Albanian groups as discreet but stable and specialized. The report presents this as a sign of their growing weight in relations with traditional mafias. At the same time, the document notes that the ’Ndrangheta has adapted its methods of operation in northern Italy.

Rather than relying primarily on violence and direct control of territory, the organization is expanding its influence through economic ties, businesses, companies and financial intermediaries.

The report notes that entrepreneurs in northern Italy are not always simply the targets of mafia pressure: in some cases, they turn to criminal organizations as clients or partners in order to secure economic benefits through illegal services.

This model is described as a market-adapted mafia that enters the legitimate economy and exploits weaknesses in the financial system. However, economic cooperation does not mean abandoning violence. Referring to the Hydra investigation, Cerreti stressed that these organizations remain mafias and may use threats, violence or even murder when their interests are threatened.

National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Giovanni Melillo has warned that the connection between the mafia and the legal economy has gone beyond the usual meaning of infiltration. According to him, the intertwining between criminal structures and part of the economic system is deepening.

The threat posed by Albanian criminal networks in Italy has also been highlighted in other international operations. In May 2026, Eurojust announced a joint operation by Albanian and Italian authorities against a network involved in drug trafficking, murder and money laundering.

The operation resulted in 12 arrests and the uncovering of a scheme to launder nearly 1 million euros sent from Italy to Albania. According to Eurojust, cooperation between SPAK and the Italian authorities led to more than 170 arrests between 2018 and 2026, as well as the seizure of more than seven tons of narcotics.

The Italian Anti-Mafia report emphasizes that the challenge now extends beyond drug trafficking. Criminal organizations are becoming intertwined with business, finance and the economy, while the distinctions between traditional Italian mafias and international networks are becoming increasingly unclear.