ITALIAN police have carried out a series of raids to smash a mafia-led operation to smuggle cocaine to Australia.
But police say godfathers have divided our country into six zones for trafficking drugs, extortion and money laundering. Such is the entrenchment of mafia links to Australia, authorities say the country is virtually a state of Italy and it would be impossible to wipe out the crime syndicate. 
Authorities have uncovered a "treasure trove" of intelligence related to the fearsome Calabrian-based 'Ndrangheta mafia group and its operations in Australia.
The police operation last week, with raids on more than a dozen homes in Calabria, has led to 14 members of clans linked to 'Ndrangheta being arrested and charged with "criminal association linked to international drugs tracking", namely to Australia and Canada. Eight of the accused have been refused bail and the other six are under house arrest.
One of those refused bail is a police officer, who was tasked with protection of a port.
He allegedly provided guidance on evading controls and security of the port area for the arrival and forwarding of consignments of drugs. The case was the culmination of five years of work by the Central Operational Service of the Italian National Police, a specialist Italian police squad from Calabria and the district's Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office.
Despite the success of arrests and uncovering intelligence on international operations through extensive listening devices, taps and surveillance, it may not assist the overall crime fight in Australia.
Italian police have now classed the mafia in Australia as so entrenched, they believe it would be impossible to stamp out.
"Australia is not a target nation any more; it's now like a state of Italy from a criminal perspective," a senior Italian officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Herald Sun.
"They are entrenched in their activities and have been for a long time. "They have not got an expansion strategy with your country any more; it's not expansion, it's consolidation.
"Australia, Canada, Belgium, United States, Germany are all countries where these crimes are being consolidated."charles.miranda@news.com.au