In modern times, the 'Ndrangheta, originating in the Southern Italian region of Calabria, is widely considered the richest and most powerful mafia in the world. Mafias often engage in secondary activities such as gambling, loan sharking, drug-trafficking, prostitution, and fraud. For other uses, see Mafia (disambiguation).Ī mafia is a type of criminal organization whose central activity is the arbitration of disputes between criminals and the organization and enforcement of illicit agreements through the use of violence. For Italian organized crime in general, often referred to generally as “the Mafia”, see Organized crime in Italy. For the Italian-American organization often known as simply “the Mafia”, see American Mafia. For the original Mafia in Sicily, see Sicilian Mafia. This article is about 'mafia-type' criminal organizations in general.