The Basset publishing house has just published a French translation of the book by Antonio Zagari, the former killer and later key witness of the ‘Ndrangheta.assembly watson
Former crime analyst Brünhilde Delhommeau has just launched a publishing house in France that is entirely dedicated to criminal networks. Their conclusion: In most European countries, infiltration by mafia structures has long been a reality.
May 5, 2026, 9:17 amMay 5, 2026, 9:17 am
Antonio Zagari lived in Malnate, very close to the Swiss border, from the 1970s to the 1990s. Together with Italians living in Switzerland, he was involved in several criminal activities, such as the counterfeit money trade between Switzerland and Italy. Other of his illegal businesses included smuggling, brothels, kidnapping for ransom – which were very common among Mafiosi in those years – and murder. Before he worked with the judiciary, he was primarily one of the ‘Ndrangheta’s killers, settling internal conflicts and eliminating key witnesses.
He described his career in a book that was published in Italian in 2006 and has now been translated into French by the young publisher Basset. Its founder, Brünhilde Delhommeau, a former analyst of mafia systems, explains her project to us.
You have just founded a publishing house in France that specializes in books about criminal organizations. Why?
Brunhilde Delhommeau: We founded the Basset publishing house together with my husband in September 2024 because it simply doesn’t exist in France. The mafia analyzes in this country are often rather superficial – and neither the population nor the authorities are really sensitized to the topic. Our country is affected quite severely by this phenomenon.
translation
This text was written by our colleagues from French-speaking Switzerland and we translated it for you.
What does your career look like?
I completed my training at the École du Louvre, where I developed a taste for research, archival work and in-depth historical investigations. I then focused my career on analyzing criminal organizations, mafia systems and security issues. This career has enabled me to develop an understanding of these phenomena that is at once rigorous, concrete and well-documented.
Since its founding, your publishing house has published two works about the ‘Ndrangheta…
The first is entitled “Dans les coulisses de la ‘Ndrangheta”. It was written for our publisher by Gabriella Mara, an Italian mafia analyst. It traces the entire history of the Calabrian organization from its origins to the present day: its structure, its political infiltrations and connections with Freemasonry, its murders and its illegal operations.
The second book is a translation of a work by the former mafioso and key witness Antonio Zagari, published in Italian in 2006, entitled “L’usure du sang”. He wrote the book, which is characterized by dark humor, while in custody after being active as one of the ‘Ndrangheta killers in the Milan region between 1970 and 1990. In 2004 he died in a motorcycle accident.
In 1975, his family was involved in the kidnapping of Cristina Mazzotti, the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, on behalf of ‘Ndrangheta bosses. Two of the perpetrators were identified and convicted thanks to a fingerprint in February 2026. Antonio Zagari’s story was also made into a film last summer and shown at the Mostra de Venise.
Why was it important to you to publish a book that tells the story of the ‘Ndrangheta between the 70s and 90s?
Because this report card provides a look at the organization from the inside. Zagari describes how the mafia bosses spread fear and terror in their areas. This is still the reality in Calabria today, and the structure of the organization has hardly changed. What is particularly new is their enormous financial power.
The ‘Ndrangheta members are now people with a respectable appearance. They work as bankers or in public administrations. The ‘Ndrangheta is now considered the most powerful mafia in the world with enormous economic clout. Thanks to corruption, some of its members have achieved high positions – in France, some even sit in local politics. At the same time, traditional mafia structures continue: marriages are arranged between families to settle conflicts or secure alliances, and women can continue to live dangerously if they want a divorce.
What role does someone who works in a public administration play in the clan?
He is supposed to obtain information, obtain building permits or public contracts. Anything that can help the clan expand its influence and power.
Why aren’t they arrested?
Often because the clan member does not commit any crimes while in public office. Since there is no crime in France that criminalizes belonging to an entire clan, only those who actually commit crimes can be prosecuted. In addition, in France there is often a lack of training to even recognize members of a criminal organization. Such investigations are lengthy and complicated – and do not always lead to a result.
Antonio Zagari lived near the Swiss border and his history shows that he had some contacts with this country so close to him. What is the situation in Switzerland regarding the mafia?
It is heavily affected by the ‘Ndrangheta clans. In Switzerland there are several so-called “locales” (cells) that are very active. Switzerland is therefore not a peripheral area for the mafia, but rather a strategically important area.
But the important thing is: clichés fall short. Switzerland is not just a banking issue. It also involves real estate, trading companies, logistics, gastronomy, parts of the construction industry as well as transit, money laundering or discreet family branches. The cantons on the border with Italy are particularly sensitive – but the phenomenon is by no means limited to the border regions. The Swiss authorities have made progress in collaboration and awareness in recent years. But as everywhere in Europe, the biggest challenge remains the invisibility that arises when money works legally and the actors are well integrated into society. The threat is then much harder to recognize than visible, spectacular violence.
What consequences does the presence of the mafia have on ordinary citizens?
If a mafia-like system establishes itself, there will no longer be fair treatment of citizens. Mafia-affiliated companies, for example, take over waste disposal, but instead of recycling, they dispose of the waste illegally in the environment – with consequences for everyone’s health. Or you want to buy a nice piece of land to build a house, but you can’t get it because someone in the clan has priority. Or you want to open a business in your community but can’t find a storefront to rent or buy. In some small towns in the south of France, all shops are owned by members of a mafia clan.
This allows them to dictate prices and eliminate competition, but also gradually expand their sphere of influence to surrounding communities. Their enormous financial power also allows them to continue to buy people – basically almost anyone.
If mafiosi today have become respectable and hold positions of responsibility, who will take over the dirty work that a killer like Zagari did?
The violence has not gone away; it has shifted and professionalized. Within the ‘Ndrangheta there are still young executives or subordinate members who are entrusted with the riskiest tasks. But the criminal organizations have also outsourced some of the dirty work.
Intimidation, collections, arms transport or even contract killings are now often outsourced to networks from other criminal groups – for example from Albania, the Balkans, Eastern Europe or Asia, depending on the area and interests.
Will your next works also be dedicated to the Italian mafias?
The currently planned book will deal with the Stidda (editor’s note: an organization from southern Sicily, the least known and youngest of the Italian mafias, which became known in 1989). I would then like to look at Latin American organizations or those from Eastern European countries. The core of our publishing line is to identify the best experts in each region, acquire the rights and translate their works. We hope to raise public awareness at least a little about this crucial issue of the mafias that are quietly infiltrating us – but for most European countries it is already too late. (fwa)