Italy in Major Swoop against 'Ndrangheta Mafia Group

Italian police on Wednesday held 163 people across the country in a major move against the notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia.

More than 40 of the arrests and detentions were made in Calabria, the crime group's southern homeland, but the bulk came in towns and cities across the north of Italy, where it has spread its tentacles in recent years.

The 'Ndrangheta is now considered the most powerful crime syndicate in Italy, having surpassed the Sicilian and Naples mafias thanks to its dominant role in much of Europe's cocaine trade.

Last week police made 31 arrests in Rome in connection with an alleged plot by a branch of the highly secretive group to take control of the cocaine market in the Italian capital.

Wednesday's arrests were coordinated by the national anti-mafia prosecutor and authorities in Bologna, who were expected to give further details of the operation later in the day.