2025, Italian-American Mafia groups continue to operate in their traditional strongholds, like the Northeast and Chicago, though their influence has waned and they have adapted to avoid law enforcement. Modern criminal activities include a mix of traditional crimes like extortion and murder, alongside modern schemes like cybercrime and stock manipulation, with a greater emphasis on outsourcing illegal work to other groups to reduce their profile. The primary Italian mafias still active are the ‘Ndrangheta, Camorra, and the Sicilian Mafia, but they are now often found in a complex criminal landscape with other international groups, like Mexican cartels and Russian mafia. 

Structure and activities 

• Geographic focus: While their influence isn’t as widespread as in the past, the American Mafia’s activities are concentrated in the Northeast and Chicago regions. 
• Hierarchical structure: The strict hierarchical structure of the Mafia remains a source of its dominance in these areas, according to Wikipedia. 
• Adaptation to law enforcement: To evade law enforcement, modern Italian-American Mafia groups often outsource activities to other criminal organizations like motorcycle gangs, notes Wikipedia. 
• Newer criminal ventures: The Mafia has adapted to include more modern criminal activities, such as stock manipulation and tax fraud schemes, in addition to traditional crimes like murder, extortion, and loan sharking. 

Major Italian criminal organizations 

• ‘Ndrangheta: One of the largest and most influential Italian organized crime groups, primarily based in Calabria. 
• Camorra: A powerful criminal organization based in the Campania region, particularly in Naples. 
• Sicilian Mafia: Also known as Cosa Nostra, this group, despite being heavily targeted by law enforcement over the decades, continues to operate. 
• 
  In 2025, Italian organized crime groups like the 
  ‘Ndrangheta and Cosa Nostra remain significant threats, evolving by embracing sophisticated financial crimes, forming alliances, and expanding their international reach. Law enforcement continues its efforts, with major operations and arrests occurring throughout the year. 
  
  Key Developments and Trends in 2025
  Shift to White-Collar Crime: The Mafia is increasingly turning away from traditional violence and extortion to focus on complex financial and “white-collar” crimes, such as tax fraud, money laundering through legitimate businesses (hotels, restaurants, real estate), and exploiting public works projects.
  Strategic Alliances: Italian mafia groups, especially the Sicilian Mafia (Cosa Nostra) and the Neapolitan Camorra, are forming alliances with each other and with international cartels, such as those in Colombia and Nigeria, to facilitate global drug trafficking operations.
  Technological Adaptations: Mobsters are using modern technology to conduct their illicit business, including encrypted phones and online platforms for illegal gambling and communication, a practice highlighted in 2025 investigations.
  Global Expansion: The Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, considered one of the world’s most powerful and pervasive organized crime entities, is a dominant player in the global cocaine trade and has established strongholds in places like Canada.
  Recruitment Challenges: Despite their ongoing presence, some veteran mobsters have been intercepted lamenting the decline in the quality of new recruits and expressing nostalgia for the “good old days,” suggesting internal challenges in maintaining traditional structures and loyalty. 
  
  Notable Law Enforcement Actions in 2025
  Major Sicilian Crackdown: In February 2025, Italian police executed a massive operation in Palermo, Sicily, arresting over 180 people from notorious Cosa Nostra clans in a bid to disrupt their restructuring efforts and attempts to regain international influence.
  International Arrests: In March and July 2025, Italian and Colombian authorities, in collaboration with Europol, arrested key Italian mafia fugitives in South America accused of leading international drug trafficking rings.
  U.S. Operations: U.S. prosecutors in October 2025 announced charges against members and associates of four of New York City’s five Mafia families (Gambino, Genovese, Bonanno, and Lucchese) for involvement in a high-tech illegal poker and sports betting scheme that netted millions of dollars. 
  
  The Mafia in Pop Culture
  Video Game: A new prequel video game in the franchise, Mafia: The Old Country, set in early 20th-century Sicily, was released in August 2025.
  TV Series: The TV series Mafia: Most Wanted, a deep dive into the mafia’s power shifts, is also slated for 2025.