The doomed Costa Concordia was carrying a huge shipment of Mafia-owned cocaine, investigators claim.
A notorious Calabrian crime syndicate called the ’Ndrangheta had its drugs hidden on the cruise ship which sunk in January 2012, with loss of 32 lives.
The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, was jailed for 16 years in February.
He was convicted of manslaughter over the deaths of 32 people, as well as causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship while many of the 4,200 passengers and crew were still on board the stricken vessel.
Investigators claim phone and tape recordings of gang members revealed that there was a drugs shipment on the vessel when it went down, the Independent reports.
One recording allegedly features ’Ndrangheta boss Michele Rossi saying to associate Massimo Tiralongo: “The same ship that made us a laughing stock around the world, took the p**s out of us, too."
A criminal investigation into alleged Mafia drugs trafficking also claims the ’Ndrangheta placed drugs on ships owned by MSC and Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Officers said the drugs on the Concordia were stowed on board the vessel without the knowledge of senior officers or senior company officials.
The Concordia was towed to Genoa last year to be scrapped in an operation which is due to last nearly two years
