Mafia Hunters

In the early hours of May 3, 2023, a worldwide police raid arrests over 100 'Ndrangheta members, all sparked by the car breakdown of two German women a few years earlier.

Year

2025

Length

5×45 min, 3×30 min, 90 min, 60 min

Directors

Stefano Strocchi, Veronika Kaserer

Synopsis

MAFIA HUNTERS is a true crime documentary series that tells the inside story of OPERATION EUREKA, the largest anti-mafia operation by international police forces against the ’Ndrangheta, which has risen to become the most powerful mafia organization since the 1980s, coordinating various criminal activities, including the international cocaine trafficking from Latin America to Europe, with an estimated revenue of more than 50 billion Euros per year.

We follow the investigators Oliver Huth (Germany), Massimiliano D’Angelantonio (Italy), Maurizia Quattrone (Interpol) and others throughout their four years of meticulous preparation for the largest coordinated strike against the ’Ndrangheta. On May 3rd, 2023, more than 3,000 police officers executed arrests worldwide simultaneously.

After extensive research we gained access to the inside story of the former Mafia Boss Luigi Bonaventura. He shares insights into the successful expansion of the mafia organization, its methods and rites, and how he was trained from childhood on, even playing with real guns. His decision to turn his back on the ’Ndrangheta and become a mafia hunter was driven by his desire to protect his children and the woman he loves.

Credits

Directed by
Veronika Kaserer
Stefano Strocchi

Editing Directors
Johan von Mirbach
Florian Schneider

Written by
Veronika Kaserer
Ina Kessebohm
Stefano Strocchi
Georg Tschurtschenthaler

Director of Photography
Nikolaus von Schlebrügge

Sound
Ole Jacobs

Editing
Bastian Bischoff
Johannes H. Nakajima
Christian R. Timmann
Jörg Volkmar

Music
Gregor Keienburg
Raffael Seyfried

Commissioning Editors
Christiane Hinz (WDR)
Jutta Krug (WDR)
Marc Brasse (NDR)
Katharina Ringsgwandl (SWR)
Ina-Katrin Hüttig (MDR)
Matthias Leybrand (BR)
Rolf Bergmann (RBB)

Producer
Christian Beetz

Georg Tschurtschenthaler