Italy starts trialing 350 alleged Mafia members

Italy opens the trial of 350 suspected members and aides of the organized crime group ‘ndrangheta, including politicians, lawyers and businessmen, in the southern region of Calabria. The trial is the biggest to prosecute organized crime in the past three decades. The defendants are charged with various crimes dating back to the 1990s, including drug trafficking, murder, illegal possession of weapons and money laundering. Prosecutors expect to hear testimony from over 900 witnesses, many of whom would be breaking the mafia’s code of silence. Some 90 suspects are set to have a summary trial on January 27.