Italy judge convicts 70 people in major mafia trial

FILE PHOTO: Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri stands outside during a pause in a trial against more than 320 suspected 'Ndrangheta mafia mobsters and their associates, accused of an array of charges, in Lamezia Terme, Italy, January 13, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - An Italian judge found 70 defendants guilty in the first sentencing at one of the country's largest-ever mafia trials.

The case involves the 'Ndrangheta clan, which is based in Calabria, the toe of Italy's boot, and is considered by prosecutors to be the most powerful mafia group in the country, easily eclipsing the more famous Cosa Nostra gang in Sicily.