Italian police prevent the return of Cosa Nostra with the arrest of 150 gangsters in Sicily
Nearly 1,200 police personnel were mobilized for the operation, coordinated by the Palermo prosecutor's office.
Italian Carabinieri in Sicily
Italian police arrested 147 members of Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian mafia, on Tuesday in an attempt to dismantle the clans that still dominate the Sicilian capital despite years of fighting. According to EFE, the macro police operation in Sicily has prevented the reinstatement of active Cosa Nostra leadership.
The investigation was carried out by the Carabinieri, the national gendarmerie of Italy, and coordinated by prosecutors Maurizio de Lucia and Marzia Sabella. About 1,200 police personnel were mobilized for the operation, coordinated by the Palermo prosecutor's office.
The suspects arrested on Tuesday after two years of investigation are accused of attempted murder, mafia association, illicit association, illegal internet gambling and drug trafficking, among other crimes.
At the center of this investigation that has culminated in the arrests is a network of encrypted telecommunications that the mobsters kept among themselves with smartphones. Even from inside prison, the leaders of the criminal organization were able to hold video conferences with each other and even supervised ambushes and operations by video call.
Historic war against organized crime
The arrests led to the 1986 macro-trial, which resulted in 346 convictions, 19 of them to life imprisonment.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni celebrated what she called a "strong blow to Cosa Nostra." "The fight against the mafia does not stop and will never stop," she vowed.
Police said in a statement that the operation, which seeks to "dismantle the mafia clans in Palermo and its surroundings," also took place in other cities in the country.
Cosa Nostra, the name by which the Sicilian mafia is known, "continues to maintain its dominance" thanks to its roots in the area, "over which it exercises constant control," the report added.
Among its most profitable activities is drug trafficking, which it carries out together with other Sicilian clans and with the 'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia.
Originating in southern Italy, these organizations cover the entire peninsula and also operate on an international scale, from Europe to America.
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