Did any kind of Mafia branch develop in Argentina after receiving Italian immigrants at the turn of the 19th century? Was this only an American phenomenon?

by binksben8

Given that Argentina received millions of Italian immigrants starting roughly in the same time frame as most of the Italian immigration to the U.S., and taking into account that most of the present Argentine population is of Italian descent, did any Mafia-related activities migrate to or develop in Argentina as well?

If not, why would that be so and the difference between what happened in America.

amp1212

A similar question was asked some time ago:

Brazil and Argentina saw well over a million Italians emigrate to their countries in the late 19th century. In America, notorious mafia families took root in America. Were there any openings for Italian crime families in South America?

The "short answer" was:

[T]here's more political and less mafia activity among the very large Italian immigrant populations in South America. Different pressures, different opportunities, different regional origins within Italy, different politics made South America less fertile ground for the growth of Italian mafia.

See the link for a more extensive discussion and sources.

More can always be said on a subject, but you might take a look at the earlier post and see if there's a specific point that you'd like to see amplified.