Drugs, guns, money—as the former boss of a powerful Italian mafia clan, Marisa Merico saw all of it. Merico was 22 when she “stepped up” to take over the family business, the ’Ndrangheta—one of the most successful and violent crime syndicates in the world. She felt it was her moral obligation to run the clan, taking direction from her father, who had just been sentenced to prison. Being boss woman was a natural fit for Merico, who grew up playing with guns and watching her family control the Milan drug market during the ’80s. From running away as a teenager to marrying her father’s friend and changing her daughter’s diapers while running the clan, see photos of Merico’s life as a mafiosa.
