An Italian court delivered a groundbreaking judgment in the country’s largest mafia trial in decades, sentencing over 200 crime syndicate members to a collective 2,200 years behind bars. The proceedings unfolded over nearly three years in a fortified bunker in Lamezia Terme, involving a legion of 400 attorneys and an array of 900 witnesses.

A three-judge panel, following intense deliberation since the trial’s closure, rendered their decisions on Monday, marking an hour and 40 minutes for the pronouncements. This pivotal judgment encompassed incarcerating 207 individuals, with notable sentences like five life imprisonments and three 30-year terms. The trial also notably acquitted more than 100 defendants, including a record 42 women implicated in a mafia case.

During the proceedings, vivid monikers like “The Wolf,” “Fatso,” and “Sweetie” surfaced, derived from approximately 24,000 wiretaps showcased as testimony. Among the convicted figures were Giancarlo Pittelli, once associated with Forza Italia, and former police chief Giorgio Naselli, underscoring the trial’s reach across various spheres of influence.

Affiliated with Italy’s infamous ‘Ndrangheta, the convicts faced charges ranging from mafia association, extortion, and bribery to involvement in five homicides. Termed Rinascita Scott, the trial derived its name from US special agent Scott W. Sieben, renowned for unraveling links between Colombia’s cartels and the ‘Ndrangheta.

‘Ndrangheta, headquartered in Calabria, reigns as Italy’s dominant mafia, boasting a global reach with thousands of members and affiliates worldwide. This criminal powerhouse monopolizes European drug trafficking, as underscored by the Italian DIA and Europol.

The complexity and intensity of this trial led the presiding judges to live under police protection for nearly three years, reflecting the gravity and scale of this landmark legal battle.