Around 130 people were arrested on Tuesday in a major crackdown on the Sicilian mafia in Palermo, showing that it remains a significant criminal force despite setbacks in recent decades.
Coza Nostra, a mafia syndicate based in and around Palermo, terrorized Italy during the 1980s and 1990s, but later the Calabrian Endralienta became the most powerful mafia.
The suspects arrested on Tuesday were charged with various crimes, including drug trafficking, attempted murder, extortion, illegal online gambling and illegal possession of firearms, according to a Carabinieri police statement.
Additional arrest warrants were also issued for 33 suspects who were already in prison for other crimes.
Investigations have revealed that Palermo’s mafia families are coordinating their activities across the city and its province, similar to the heyday of Cosa Nostra, especially in drug trafficking, police said.
They added that the families from the city center have regained authority compared to the years when they were dominated by a faction from Corleone, a town outside Palermo that was the birthplace of notorious bosses Toto Rinja and Bernardo Provenzano.
Today’s leaders are using modern technology to run their businesses, using encrypted mobile phones smuggled into prisons to allow imprisoned bosses to continue to issue orders, investigators said.
Despite being weakened by police and judicial action, Cosa Nostra continues to attract young people. The Carabinieri said they had documented the case of a new recruit who was given “lessons about the mafia” by a senior associate.
The future mentor gave the young man specific instructions, advising him on how to deal with people subjected to extortion and how to deal with mafia leaders, according to a police statement.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, writing on social media, welcomed Tuesday’s arrests as dealing “a very heavy blow to Cosa Nostra” and sending a clear signal that “the fight against the mafia has not stopped and will not stop,” Reuters reported.
