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ROME — Police have arrested 334 people in one of the largest anti-mob operations ever seen in Italy, highlighting the growing reach of the ‘Ndrangheta Mafia, prosecutors said on Thursday.

The ‘Ndrangheta is based in the southern region of Calabria, the toe of Italy’s boot, and has surpassed Sicily’s more famous Cosa Nostra to become the most powerful Mafia group in the country — and one of the largest crime gangs in the world.

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Police said they seized hundreds of suspects in early morning swoops around the country, with some arrests also carried out in Germany, Switzerland and Bulgaria.

Photo by ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE/HO / AFP via Getty Images

Amongst the possible charges facing those detained were Mafia conspiracy, murder, extortion, loan sharking, corporate fraud and money laundering.

“Politicians were involved, as well as lawyers, accountants, public officials, court clerks. All people who had jobs and did not need to put themselves at the service of the ‘Ndrangheta,” said prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, who led the investigation.